This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Investigators suspect an arsonist is responsible for the fire that destroyed a recently vacated Provo house.
Dispatchers received a call about the fire at 2:28 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters arrived at 1284 S. State Street to find the house "well involved," according to a Provo Police Department news release.
Firefighters from four stations aggressively attacked the flames, but the fire was able to travel through spaces in the roof because of several modifications to the house, according to the release. They finally extinguished the fire just after 7 a.m., and while "it didn't burn completely down, the roof burned off… it's pretty much a total loss," said Provo Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Headman.
Investigators, with the help of the Salt Lake City Fire Department arson dog Daz, combed the rubble and collected several pieces of evidence, according to the release. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Provo Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield suspects it was intentionally set, and some of the evidence will be sent to the state crime lab for further testing.
The house was vacant; the people who had been living in the home moved out about two weeks ago, Schofield said. It was scheduled to be demolished.
Schofield estimated the loss at $130,000.
Provo investigators are asking anyone with information about how the fire started, or any other information that would aid the investigation, to call 801-852-6210.
There have been several suspicious fires in Provo in the past few months, but Schofield said he does not suspect that this incident is linked to the others.
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