Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Debbie Dujanovic reportingCrews battled four major residential fires in the Salt Lake area overnight.
Three were at vacant homes, and another was at an apartment building.
The first fire started at the Peter Pan apartment building on 300 South.
Fire officials say a man targeting his ex-wife threw an incendiary device into one of the apartments, causing it to catch fire.
After the suspect started the fire, he allegedly stayed to watch firefighters put it out.
But then residents pointed him out to police. He was captured after a short foot chase and taken into custody.
One man who lived in the building was treated for smoke inhalation, but only one apartment sustained serious damage, and it was empty at the time.
As fire crews were wrapping up there, they began getting a series of calls to vacant homes on fire.
The first was on the city's east side. Neighbors spotted heavy smoke and flames coming from a house on 21st East shortly after 1 am. By the time crews were able to put the fire out, the home was destroyed.
This is not the first time that fire crews have been to that home this year -- raising questions for investigators.
As crews were fighting that fire on the east side, county fire crews were tackling one out west.
A two-alarm blaze broke out at a home under construction, spreading throughout the structure and into the roof.
The house is considered almost a complete loss.
And finally, shortly before 4 am, fire crews were called to yet another vacant house on West Temple.
Again, the house was fully involved when crews arrived. By the time this fire was out investigators were wondering if they had more than coincidence on their hands.
"There's some strange coincidence. Very strange night with everything we've had."
The good news is that, with the exception of one man treated for smoke inhalation at the Peter Pan apartments, no one was injured in any of these fires.
Again, a suspect is in custody for the fire at the Peter Pan apartments, but no one is in custody for the three house fires.
