SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Four fires within 30 minutes on 100 South in Salt Lake City are being investigated as arsons.
It appears to be the work of a pedestrian casually walking east up 100 South early Tuesday morning, said Salt Lake City Fire Capt. Brandt Hancuff.
“The evidence suggests that for sure.”
The fires were all reported between 2:52 a.m. and 3:22 a.m., the public information officer said. At 544 East, it was a dumpster fire; 600 East, a vehicle fire; 630 East, a wooden fence fire; and 700 East, another dumpster fire, all along 100 South, a block south of South Temple Street.
A block and a half in 30 minutes would imply a slow walking arsonist or arsonists, Hancuff said. All but the vehicle fire were minor, all easily contained, he said, with the older model vehicle a total loss. No injuries resulted.
Investigators with the department’s fire marshal’s office, firemen who are also police officers, Hancuff said, are investigating, currently checking security video. The stretch of 100 South where the fires took place feature a church, an assisted living center and a large apartment complex with few if any single-family dwellings.
Anyone in the area of the fires with doorbell ring cameras or other type of surveillance gear are asked to check their footage in the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 23. Anyone with information can contact the department at 801-799-3473.
Hancuff couldn’t comment on what was used to start the fires. He said there is no other similar pattern of fire-setting currently in the city.
