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Four teens have been identified in connection with a Jan. 26 arson fire that gutted part of an abandoned South Salt Lake apartment complex and injured two firefighters, police said Tuesday.
Police spokesman Gary Keller said the suspects — three boys and a girl, all 14 years old — were seen leaving the area just before the fire at 3045 S. 395 East was reported.
Police received a number of tips from the community, as well as help from school resource officers, which helped investigators locate the juveniles the day after the fire.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office is screening the case for possible criminal charges, Keller said, which could range from arson to reckless burning.
He said the two-story, eight-unit building was one of three vacant buildings on the property, now owned by South Salt Lake, that were slated for demolition.
Keller said Tuesday that he did not think the teens intended the fire "to be what it was," and that a possibly "mischievous" act got out of hand.
Keller said at the time of the blaze that it was so hot that "radiant heat" from the flames overwhelmed the protective clothing of two firefighters. One firefighter suffered burns to a hand that were treated at the scene; another was taken to the hospital for treatment of burns to an arm and leg.