Arson investigated in South Salt Lake tortilla chip-factory blaze

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Investigators Wednesday were calling a fire at a tortilla chip factory "suspicious."

A fire at Deep Fry Co., 2951 S. State, destroyed the business on Monday.

"There was no loss of life or injuries, but it's completely gone," said South Salt Lake Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Bowman. "It kind of surprised us how fast it was going."

The fire caused an estimated $250,000 damage.

South Salt Lake Fire Chief Steve Foote said Wednesday that although investigators were still looking for an exact cause, there was no evidence to suggest it was accidental. "Our arson task force is aggressively looking into a cause," he said.

About 40 firefighters from six agencies battled the blaze.

"There was quite a bit of fuel load in that place," Bowman said about the large vats of frying oil inside the business. Neighboring businesses were spared from the flames, even though one building was just a foot away and another was just 15 feet away.

An arson dog was used after the fire was extinguished to check for possible accelerants and to help pinpoint an origin, Foote said.

— Jacob Hancock