Grass fire damages home, threatens second house in SLC’s Victory Road area

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A fast-moving grass fire damaged one home and threatened another Friday, drawing a 4-alarm response from firefighters.

The homes, near 730 N. Capitol St., were vacant at the time of the fire and nobody was injured, Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesperson Audra Sorensen said.

Smoke and flames started to rise from the hillside below Victory Road around 3:30 p.m., as onlookers watched in disbelief.

“It’s shocking, terrible — terrible to see something like this happening,” said Daniel Figuero.

Georg Stutzenberger said he got off the freeway and saw the fire and grew concerned, because he knew people in the neighborhood.

“There are two homes up there where the people just put their homes up for sale — they moved out of state — and it looks like they are engulfed in fire,” Stutzenberger said.

Multiple neighbors expressed worries that the fire was somehow connected to the homeless who have camped along the hillside.

“There are 20 homeless camps up in there and there’s folks that have always been concerned that there will be a fire that gets away accidentally,” said Robert King.

The Salt Lake City Police Department and other agencies took part in a cleanup that removed 160,000 pounds of trash from the area Thursday and several campers said they were going elsewhere.

In a supplemental statement issued to reporters late Friday night, Sorensen acknowledged onlookers’ speculation, but said investigators had not yet determined the cause and were “thoroughly” assessing the situation.

Sorensen said firefighters did not yet have a damage estimate.

Neighbors said they were grateful firefighters were able to get on top of the fire quickly and that nobody was injured.

“Yeah, it’s very concerning when you see things like this happening right next to where you live,” Figuero said.