10 suspicious fires set in Provo, Ogden

PROVO — Officials suspect that 10 grass fires — five in Ogden and five in Provo — that started within 45 minutes of each other Tuesday were intentionally set.

In addition, fire crews battled a 350 acre blaze about 19 miles north of Cedar City.

Around 2 p.m., Provo fire crews were called out on a grass fire up Slate Canyon, and within 10 minutes, calls also came into dispatchers about another grass fire about five miles away in Rock Canyon.

While crews were trying to douse those two grass fires, spanning less than a quarter acre each, more people started calling in about two fires — about 100 feet apart — near the Y Mountain trailhead. A fifth fire by homes east of Seven Peaks Water Park was called in shortly after.

"They weren't very big fires," Provo Fire Deputy Chief Gary Jolley said. "The biggest was one at the Y trailhead, and it spanned a quarter to half an acre."

The relatively close distance among all of these fires and the time they started indicated to fire officials and detectives that they were intentionally set.

Detectives are investigating whether the same person or group set all five fires, but witnesses have reported spotting a black SUV or pickup truck with the license plate number A996X6 or A996XG in the area around at least two of the fires.

Fire officials believe the fires originated from fireworks and are asking with information about the fires to call police at 801-852-6215.

While Provo, Orem, Utah County and U.S. Forest Service fire crews battled the Utah County fires, Ogden firefighters had a similar situation occurring.

Around 2:45 p.m., just 45 minutes after the blazes were set in Provo, Ogden dispatchers received calls about a grass fire at 525 Park Blvd. Less than 20 minutes later, fire crews were called out on another grass fire at 16th Street and Harrison Boulevard that turned out to be three separate fires in close proximity to each other.

And then, just as additional crews headed west from a station near the Ogden Eccles Dinosaur Park to help, dispatchers informed them about another grass fire just east of them, back toward the park.

Fire officials are suspicious of the five fires that left them with limited resources Tuesday afternoon.

"Whoever set those fires could have been riding a bicycle even," Ogden Fire Battalion Chief Corey Barton said.

Including Tuesday's fires, there have been 10 fires near the Ogden River Parkway in the past nine days.

"The crews are exhausted," Barton said. "The resources throughout the city are bare-boned. There was a time this afternoon when we didn't have an engine to send out on a medical call. We could only send an ambulance and rescue truck."