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Arson suspected in Kearns car fires

Posted at 6:00 PM, Feb 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-25 20:00:53-05

KEARNS, Utah — Unified Fire Authority investigators want to know who set fire to two cars in Kearns Monday morning.

A neighbor called 911 around 7:45 a.m. after seeing flames outside 5016 West Longmore Drive.

"The fire was pretty big. It went up quick. I’m talking not a normal car fire,” Marlo Sanchez said. “It was a matter of ten seconds and it was… really bad.”

A white sedan and maroon SUV were both on fire. The flames from the SUV spread to the garage below a young child’s bedroom, according to Sanchez.

Neighbors said a mother and two children were inside when the fires started.

“They couldn’t get out of the front because the flames were too big,” Sanches said. “They actually were hiding in the back yard in the corner.”

Investigators believe the fires are suspicious because of how far the cars were when they became engulfed in flames.

The sedan was on the street was parked in front of the home while the SUV was in the driveway.

The initial investigation was unclear if the cars were targeted or picked at random.

Fire investigators believe gasoline or some other accelerant was used to set the fires.

“Obviously, we are looking at a total loss of both vehicles and looking at some exterior damage to the garage as well,” Unified Fire Authority Ryan Love said.

Anyone with information on the investigation is urged to call the Unified Fire Authority at (801) 743-7200.