This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake City man was charged by prosecutors for setting fire to the roof of the convenience store where he was an employee after his hours had been cut.
The 37-year-old man was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated arson, a first-degree felony.
On April 10, a witness saw the man walk in an alley behind the convenience store and climb up a tree to the roof of the 7-Eleven, at 705 E. Third Ave., according to court documents. The witness watched as the man ran across the roof and then saw a "good-size orange flame" coming from the corner of the roof.
Salt Lake City firefighters responded and put out the fire before much damage was done.
The man — later located — said that his store manager at 7-Eleven had cut his hours, according to court records. He said felt depressed and drank some beer. He told officers he remembered being in the alley on April 10, court documents state. He recalled he went to a storage shed behind his old apartment to grab some lighter fluid he had left there when he moved out, according to court records.
Fire investigators concluded the fire was intentionally set with ignitable fluid near an air conditioning unit on the roof, documents state.
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