This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Firefighters extinguished an early Friday fire that ignited in a vacant, former Sizzler restaurant just east of downtown Salt Lake City.
Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay said the blaze at 371 E. 400 South was reported at 1:17 a.m. Crews arrived to find heavy smoke and flames pouring from the structure's front windows.
"The fire quickly extended into a wall in the middle of the building, and then moved up to the roof. At that time, crews took a defensive approach and extinguished the fire from the outside," Asay said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, though there had been reports of homeless people sleeping at the structure of late.
No one was found inside the building, and no injuries were reported among the 25 firefighters responding.
Losses were being assessed, but Asay said the damages would be heavy, as flames burned much of the roof and interior.
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