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NIBLEY, Cache County — Officials say the man who caused a fire at a Nibley storage facility Saturday will not face charges.
The fire, which resulted in an estimated $1.5 million to $1.75 million in damage, was caused by a man working on his car inside one of the storage units, Hyrum Assistant Fire Chief Blake Christensen said. On Monday, Christensen confirmed that the man will not face charges.
The blaze occurred at 4000 South and 100 West and destroyed about 25 units, firefighters said.
The contents of the burned storage units were also destroyed, Christensen said.
The man working on his car, who also called 911, had minor burns on his hands but was treated and released on scene. Investigators said was trying to use ether, a flammable chemical, to jump-start a car.
No one else was injured in the four-alarm fire, Christensen said. About 10 departments responded to the blaze Saturday, and it took firefighters about two hours to put out the flames, he said.
Those who rented storage units from the facility watched idly by, hoping their belongings weren't among those destroyed in the flames.
One such renter is Rusty Jenson, who said he and other extended family members lost a lot in the fire.
"We're actually in the process of building a new home, so all of our appliances and stuff was in there. Figure about 70 to 80-grand worth of stuff,” Jensen said.
A manager of Armor Storage told KSL TV reporter Mike Anderson they had no comment on the incident and instead were waiting to see what the official police report said.
While fire investigators said the man who started the fire didn't do anything illegal, multiple renters said they still have grounds to file a lawsuit since performing car maintenance in the storage units violated contract.
Jenson said he warned the owners of Armor Storage about people working on cars in the units.
"Just aggravating, because they were told time and time again that they had people working out of here, an automotive shop that is against their policy," he said.
Contributing: Mike Anderson, KSL TV
