DRAPER, Utah, Aug. 21, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Fire crews are calling six separate fires at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley Sunday morning “suspicious,” and asking for the public’s help in finding more information.
Unified Fire Authority crews first responded to a pair of half-acre fires in Draper Sunday morning that led to the self-evacuation of multiple large homes.
Cpt. Dan Brown from the UFA said authorities received calls at approximately 9 a.m. about what was thought to be one brush fire at approximately 1700 E. Deer Ridge Drive.
“When the crews got here, they actually discovered there are about two half-acre fires, very close to some very large houses, so as we went to evacuate the five houses that were threatened they’d actually already self-evacuated, so we didn’t have to evacuate those,” Brown said.
“The crews did a great job, and they did get it under control very fast.”
He added that as of 10 a.m., no structures were threatened, and the fires were approximately 75 percent contained. Soon after, residents were able to return to their homes.
Brown added that as of 11 a.m., crews had responded to six separate fires they believe to be suspicious.
Firefighters were called to two fires in Draper, two in Herriman, and two in Lehi.
“We are calling them all suspicious and we would just like anyone that has seen anything or has any information, has seen anybody leaving the scene or has seen any suspicious activity to call the dispatch center,” Brown said.
“With the early morning and it not being very hot yet, there’s just not many other factors that would make fires start like this.”
Brown said it’s unusual that there has been two fires at each starting location, as well as that they are all clustered in the south end of the valley. He said investigators are on the scene of each fire, and looking into the cause of each.
The UFA fire dispatch number is 801-840-4000.
