By Emiley Morgan
The Deseret Morning News
SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City fire officials are looking for an arsonist described as “very dangerous” after he tried to set fire to an apartment complex Thursday.
The first call came in on the blaze around 4:45 a.m. at the Lincoln Apartments, 127 S. Lincoln St. (900 East), said Salt Lake fire spokesman Mark Bednarik.
Investigators found a trail of gasoline spanning the length of a hallway that runs across the three-story, 15-apartment complex.
“We’re classifying him as very dangerous,” Bednarik said. “This fire was set to block people’s access. He poured gasoline in the hallways and in front of doors on the main floor.”
The way the man set up the fire, it would have forced tenants to evacuate the building from their windows, which could have been disastrous, he said.
Fortunately, the building’s sprinkler system has been well-maintained.
“Had the apartment not had a sprinkler system, it could have been very catastrophic and would have resulted in a massive loss of lives,” Bednarik said. "(The apartment owners) were very proactive in ensuring their protections are in place for their tenants and we commend them for that.”
A number of tenants spotted a man believed to have started the fire.
The man was acting “bizarre,” knocking on doors and frightening tenants.
At one point he was seen wandering around the building with a gas can, Bednarik said.
The fire started about two hours later.
The sprinkler system quickly extinguished the blaze, which caused about $5,000 in damages.
A police artist put together a composite sketch of the man, who Bednarik described as a white male in his mid-40s with brown hair, brown eyes and a receding hairline.
He has pock marks on his face, is “slender with a belly” and was wearing a navy blue down jacket, brown sweatpants that were stained and dark-colored shoes.
He spoke English with no accent.
One family was displaced by the blaze and was given shelter by the Red Cross, which also supplied food to other residents.
Anyone with information is asked to call 801-799-4231.
Copyright 2009 The Deseret News Publishing Co.