Christmas fire heavily damages Salt Lake City apartments

A fire early Christmas morning heavily damaged three Salt Lake City apartments, but the five adults living there all were able to escape without injury.

Salt Lake City firefighters responded at 12:31 a.m. to the fire at a three-story apartment building at 163 S. 600 East.

They found heavy smoke and flames coming from the building. The fire was quickly extinguished, although efforts were complicated initially by live electrical power lines that were dangling near the back of the building.

City investigators ruled that the fire was accidental. An occupant told firefighters she had discarded a cigarette into a garbage can on her back patio, which she believed caused the fire.

The second-story deck above that back patio collapsed during the fire, spreading the fire into the building.

Apartments on the first and second floor received heavy smoke, fire and water damage. An apartment on the third floor received smoke damage. The dollar amount of damage was undetermined.