2nd Provo arsonist suspected after additional building fire


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PROVO — Fire investigators believe there is a second arsonist at work in Provo after a vacant building was set on fire early Sunday morning.

This latest fire brings the number of arson cases in Provo to 15.

A fire was set around 2:30 a.m. Sunday in a vacant building located at 1284 South State Street in Provo. According to the Provo City Fire Department, the tenants moved out two weeks ago because the building is being torn down to make room for another project.

Investigators immediately found the fire suspicious, police said. An arson dog then found several areas with accelerant.

"In this particular case it appears it started on the bottom floor and possibly was also started on the top floor,” said Provo City Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield.

Investigators believe they have a second arsonist for several reasons. First, the building hasn't been vacant very long. In previous fires the buildings had been vacant for a long period of time, Schofield said.

There are also some dissimilarities about the time of day and day of the week this fire was set compared to previous fires. There also was not as much accelerant used in this fire compared to the others.

Sunday's fire took the resources from four fire stations to put it out. Schofield said someone needs to be held responsible for draining taxpayer dollars and putting the public at risk.

"Anytime we roll on a fire it puts us and the public at risk, you have several hundred thousand pounds of rolling stock, causing through Provo, even in the middle of the night," he said.

Investigators are asking Provo residents to keep an eye on any vacant buildings they may live by and to call the Provo police at at 801-852-6210 if they see anything suspicious.

The last suspicious fire in Provo was on June 10. Police are still searching for the suspected arsonist in that case.

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