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SOUTH JORDAN — Chris Lambert was looking forward to the day his children would move into brand new homes on property he had purchased for them.
One of the homes was just days away from being finished and was to be featured in the Parade of Homes. But late Monday night, both homes were destroyed in a fire that investigators are calling suspicious.
"It just shatters your dreams. It's just heartbreaking," he said.
Just before 11:30 p.m., fire was reported at a home under construction near 9744 S. Lazy Water Cove (1000 West). The house, which was still in the framing stage, was quickly engulfed in flames. The heat from that fire spread to a neighboring house, which was nearly completed.
"That was set to be in the Parade of Homes. That was at least a million-dollar home," said South Jordan spokeswoman Tina Brown.
Both homes were unoccupied.
The large fire could be seen from I-15 and attracted a number of spectators — so many that fire crews called to assist South Jordan had problems driving through the throngs of people parked along the side of the residential streets.
The fire was brought under control by 2 a.m. Tuesday.
Investigators were looking for a possible cause Tuesday afternoon. Lambert believes foul play may be involved.
"To have it be so fully engulfed in so short of time to me is definitely suspicious," he said.
Each home had a dumpster in front of it that was also on fire, Brown said. Investigators were trying to determine Tuesday if the fire started in the dumpster and spread to the house, or if it was the other way around.
"Right now, they are going through the pile of debris in the dumpster looking for any clues," she said.
Brown said it was too early to determine if the fires could be connected to a series of other recent fires in Davis County. Sunday night in Centerville, a dumpster was set on fire at one location and a construction trailer holding roofing materials at another, in addition to two garbage cans in front of homes.
Investigators were looking at whether the fires in Centerville were also related to a series of small fires in Farmington Canyon on July 6.
Anyone with information on the South Jordan fires can call police at 801-840-4000.
Contributing: Peter Samore
