'Suspicious' fire leaves 12 homeless

A "suspicious" fire at a Salt Lake City apartment complex early Saturday morning left 12 people homeless.

One woman had to leap from a second-story window to avoid the flames at the complex, 959 W. Genesee Ave. (840 South), Salt Lake fire spokesman Scott Freitag said.

"She jumped out of the window because there was so much fire out in the hallway," Freitag said. The woman was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and later released. No other injuries were reported.

Officials believe the fire at the fourplex ignited around 3:17 a.m. on a second-floor patio.

The fire gutted the two apartments on the top floor, and the bottom two sustained significant water and smoke damage, Freitag said.

Flames exploded out from both sides of the top story of the fourplex when firefighters arrived, he said.

Fire officials estimate the total damage from the blaze at $150,000.

Although the cause of the blaze was unknown Saturday, Freitag said, "It is suspicious."

Police were called to break up a fight at the complex approximately 45 minutes before the fire.

"We don't know if they are related or not," Freitag said. He said investigators are trying to determine if the two are connected.

The 12 displaced residents received aid from the American Red Cross.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com