Firefighters rushed to the scene a two-alarm blaze Tuesday morning at an abandoned house in west Salt Lake City, quickly extinguishing the flames.
Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay confirmed that investigators, after looking into neighborhood reports, believed that transients seen in the area recently likely were the cause of the fire.
The first 911 call reporting the fire, near 1300 South and 900 West, came at 7:20 a.m. By 8:15 a.m., crews had extinguished the blaze.
Asay said the fire began in a detached garage, completely destroying the structure and two vehicles inside. Flames then jumped to and consumed a shed, and the fire was licking at the exterior of the abandoned, boarded-up house when firefighters brought it to heel.
Asay estimated that 35 firefighters in all fought the blaze.
A damage estimate was not immediately available. No injuries were reported.
Asay said one neighbor told firefighters that he had witnessed transients on the property recently setting campfires, and that his dog had barked at intruders at the scene overnight.
The fire at one point jumped the Jordan River to the west and into some grass, but residents there quickly used garden hoses and shovels to put out the flames.
remims@sltrib.com
Twitter: @remims