Fire under control after burning two vacant homes on Victory Road

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SALT LAKE CITY — A fire is under control after burning two homes on Victory Road on Friday afternoon.

The call reporting the fire came in about 3:30 p.m., according to Salt Lake City Fire Department spokeswoman Audra Sorenson. The blaze started as a brush fire and then involved the two structures, Sorenson said. Two bushes caught fire, but the flames quickly spread to more than an acre, she added.

The two homes burned were for sale, but vacant, Sorenson said. She did not know the extent of the damage to the homes as of 5:15 p.m. Friday.

By that time, the fire was under control, but crews were still putting out hotspots, Sorenson said. Some crew members likely would stay on the scene throughout the night to keep an eye on the burn area.

Crews took extra caution as they fought the blaze due to the windy, hot and dry conditions, as well as the long-term drought in the fire area, Sorenson said.

Victory Road is closed in both directions near the intersection of Beck Street. Wall Street also was closed near the fire, Salt Lake police officials said on Twitter. The roads would remain closed through the afternoon commute, police said.

There is an oil refinery near the fire, but Sorenson said she was confident the fire would be under control before it got close to the refinery. There also is a Rocky Mountain Power substation nearby, but fire crews kept it away from the station, she said.

Sorenson was unsure what caused the fire, but said investigators were at the scene to determine that.

Three crews from Davis County also assisted with the firefight, Sorenson said.