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Arson suspected in Provo fire

Posted at 5:47 AM, Apr 11, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-11 18:42:22-04

PROVO, Utah -- Firefighting crews responded to the scene of a structure fire early Friday morning, and authorities believe arson is the cause.

Shortly before 3 a.m., three abandoned duplexes caught fire near 4800 N Edgewood Dr., close to The Shops at Riverwoods.

"These are abandoned buildings. They've been abandoned for a couple of years now. So, we took a defensive attack, meaning that we did all of our fighting of the fire from the exterior. [We] didn't put our people in harm's way," Schofield said.

According to Provo Fire Marshal Lynn Schofield, two of the buildings were heavily engulfed in flames when crews arrived.

Firefighting crews from three stations in Provo and one from Orem responded to the scene and spent several hours putting out the blaze.

No injuries were reported, but Schofield said it was a dangerous situation.

"It puts our people at risk. It puts the general public at risk," Schofield said. "We need to put a stop to this before somebody gets hurt."

A K-9 was brought in to collect evidence at the scene of the fire. That evidence will then be taken to a state crime lab for analysis.

Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or unusual in the area is asked to call (801) 852-6210.