Foote said his firefighters worked quickly to extinguish the blaze but were stunned to discover a fire hydrant outside the building was not working.

"This hydrant was dry. It was turned off," he said, fuming. "For some reason it was turned off."

Instead, police had to string hoses to another hydrant 400 feet away on 700 West.

"This is a private hydrant. It's not the city's responsibility. These hydrants are owned by the complex and they have the responsibility of maintaining the hydrants," Foote said.

Management for the Mountain Shadows Apartments declined to comment to the Deseret Morning News on Monday.

The fire led to more than 70 firefighters being called out from Murray, West Valley City, Salt Lake City, Sandy, Midvale and the Unified Fire Authority. The American Red Cross is providing help to the families in 12 units affected by the fire.

Foote said they will not pursue any criminal charges against the family because of the toddler's actions. It is against fire code to keep small barbecues and hibachis on balconies or decks in apartment buildings, firefighters said.

"We're not trying to blame the child," Foote said. "We're just urging people to keep an eye on your kids and get those off your decks and balconies."

---

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com