Errant fireworks blamed for dozens of fires; 100 flee Midvale apartment complex blaze

About 100 residents of a Midvale apartment complex remained homeless Wednesday and two homes in Cottonwood Heights were heavily damaged due to blazes believed sparked by overnight Independence Day fireworks.

In all, fire department dispatchers reported nearly 70 fireworks-related calls Tuesday night through Wednesday morning in Salt Lake County.

The worst of them occurred at Midvale's Chelsea Park Apartments, 7351 S. Catalpa Road (near 500 West). About 12:15 a.m., Unified Fire Authority (UFA) crews rushed to the scene to find smoke and flames billowing from multiple units, said Battalion Chief Steve Prokopis.

The blaze, which forced residents to flee from 38 dwellings in all, was blamed by residents on a firework that apparently landed in brush near a building's ground floor. Flames flared up the side of the structure and quickly spread, said Prokopis.

Three men suffered minor injuries; two of them were hurt as they jumped from a third-floor window into the arms of a third man.

Prokopis confirmed Wednesday that the Midvale fire was caused by fireworks.

"We do believe this was fireworks related," he said. "It was a firework that either landed in the shrubbery just outside the building or on a second-floor balcony."

Of the 100 people evacuated Tuesday night, 30 took up offers for food, clothing and shelter assistance from the Utah Red Cross. The agency was on site again Wednesday to aid residents displaced, many of whom had sought refuge with friends and family overnight.

Three units were destroyed, with the remaining apartments sustaining varying levels of smoke and water damage, Prokopis said.

Overall damage was being assessed, and investigation into the cause and source of the fire continued.

Chantel Conti, who lives in a building next to the one that caught fire, woke up to firefighters knocking on her door to evacuate her and her two small children, an 8-month-old and a 5-year-old, as smoke billowed through the building.

"I couldn't get my son out of his swing fast enough," Condi said. "It was really scary."

Conti and her family waited outside from 1 to 3 a.m. until fire officials told them they could return to their apartment.

Meanwhile, a grass fire in Cottonwood Heights burned an estimated 11 acres, the backs of two houses and a shed near Bywater Park on Tuesday between 9:30 and 10 p.m. It, too, was started by fireworks, igniting near the Enchanted Hills area and spreading to Brighton Way near Banbury Road by strong winds, UFA reported.

Crews from Murray and Sandy joined UFA to fight the blaze. It was contained in 45 minutes.

Mary Burt found out her mother's Cottonwood Heights house was on fire through Facebook after friends tagged her in a photo of the house in flames.

When her mother and brother saw the fire, they hosed down the fence and soaked the yard.

The brand-new deck, which Burt said the family put in last year, survived the blaze that warped an adjacent tree.

"I can't believe this didn't catch," Burt said of the deck, as she stepped around a singed pillow while checking the damage to the side of the home. They haven't been allowed back in yet, Burt said.

When the wind shifted, family members got two of their three cats out of the house.

"This has been a worry, because this field has been empty since we've lived here," Burt said, pointing through the fence to the scorched grass that the night before brought the flames to her parents' property. The fire had traveled down the field from the Enchanted Hills area, where fire officials believe fireworks were ignited — despite a Cottonwood Heights city sign that reads: "Fireworks are banned in this area."

"In these conditions, I don't think civilians should be able to [shoot off fireworks]. Sparklers and the little round things are one thing, but the stuff that goes off into the air? Go to a fireworks show," Burt said. "Especially with, it was 100 degrees yesterday. And especially with these canyon winds, my mom just watched it come straight down."

Margot and Chuck Lewis live next door to one of the damaged houses.

The main fire line burned within 10 feet of their backyard and destroyed their empty pigeon house. The flames also scorched the Lewis' bench and scarred a tree.

When they saw the fire from their backyard, Chuck Lewis ran a hose through the backyard, and they left their house with their two dogs, they said. Chuck Lewis fled without shoes.

Their neighbors told them about an evacuation order, so they returned for their two cats — one of which, a firefighter pulled from the house, Margot Lewis said.

"It was so smoky, I didn't recognize my house or the corner house," she said.

It's the fourth fire Chuck Lewis has seen in 27 years of living in his Cottonwood Heights home. He wants fireworks limited to New Year's Eve, he said, "when there's snow on the ground."

"When this fire was coming toward us ... fireworks were still going on to the left and right of it, within one-quarter mile," he said. "That was bizarre. I was amazed."

In Salt Lake City, a fireworks show in Sugar House Park sparked five small grass fires near the southwest corner of the park. Crews extinguished the blazes after they burned about 2 acres between the park and Interstate 80.

Police shut down traffic on the I-80 westbound offramp at 1300 East for more than an hour.

In Lehi, a fire caused by fireworks burned an acre at 11:30 p.m., according to Lehi Fire Capt. Robert Stanley. The fire was reported at 11:30 p.m. and contained in 15 minutes, he said.

South Davis Metro Fire Department also confirmed via Twitter a brush fire near 900 South on Davis Boulevard around 10:20 p.m.

remims@sltrib.com tfrandsen@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims @tiffany_mf