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TAYLORSVILLE — Three children playing with a lighter ignited a two-alarm fire at an apartment complex Saturday that caused more than $250,000 in damage and displaced about 20 residents, fire officials said.
Two of the three children, ages 11 and 10, were arrested and booked into a juvenile detention facility.
The blaze started shortly after noon at the Callaway Apartments, 1141 W. 3900 South.
Unified Fire Authority spokesman Dave Ulibarri said a neighbor came out of the apartments to see three children — a 10-year-old boy, and two girls, 11 and 8 — "intentionally trying to light" a tree on fire before chasing them around a corner and seeing a different tree fully engulfed in flames.
"That's when he called 911," Ulibarri said.
Flames from the tree quickly spread to the attic of an adjacent building.
"Before the crews even exited the station, dispatch had upgraded it to a structure fire due to incoming calls from citizens who had said that it extended into the building," Ulibarri said. "There were a couple of neighbors that saw (the fire) and started pounding on doors and got everybody out."
When crews arrived, Ulibarri said they called for a second alarm and began fighting the fire from the inside of the building. He said at one point, at least 50 firefighters were on scene.
Sixteen units were evacuated, and eight were deemed uninhabitable, according to fire officials. No one was injured, but about 20 people were displaced.
The 10-year-old boy and the 11-year-old girl were both booked into a juvenile facility for investigation of arson, Ulibarri said. The girl's 8-year-old sister was not taken into custody.
"We haven't got the details of their intentions or if it was an accident, experimentation, or if it was an intentional thing," Ulibarri said. "We hope it's not, but we want to encourage parents to tell their kids, 'Do not play with matches. Do not play with lighters.'
"This time of year everything is so dry and it doesn't take much," he said. "We're just fortunate that no one was killed or trapped in their apartment today."
Nick Sharp, a resident of one of the destroyed units, said he was watching TV inside his home when a neighbor hammered on his door, warning him that his apartment was on fire.
"It was terrifying," he said. "I didn't smell anything; I didn't hear anything. … I ran outside and then within maybe two minutes, the entire door and roof were all engulfed in flames."
Sharp said it's likely he could have been trapped inside his apartment without his neighbor's help.
"I feel like I've gone through every emotion today," he said. "I'm pretty angry. They said there's nothing salvageable, so I guess there's nothing left."
But Sharp said he's already been told he will be given another apartment, and he's grateful no one was hurt.
He said he doesn't think anyone as young as those children could truly understand the scope of the situation.
"That's what's sad," he said. "That something so small could turn into something so gigantic and affect so many people."
The Red Cross helped Sharp and the displaced residents find shelter for the night.
Contributing: Sandra Yi
