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PROVO — Three buildings under construction burned down in a massive construction fire in Provo early Saturday, burning through power lines and causing outages across the city.
The damage was estimated at $4.5 million.
Notice came in just before 3 a.m. of a fire at 1620 S State. "When the crews arrived it was fully engulfed," requiring support from Springville and Mapleton, said Provo fire spokesperson Jeanie Atherton.
The three buildings that burned were framed but not enclosed, and a fourth structure was able to be saved by the approximately 30 responding firefighters. No one was injured in the blaze, according to Atherton.
"We have a lot of digging and excavating to determine the actual case," she said. That is what crews are planning on doing Saturday. Provo police posted a request on social media Saturday, asking if anyone has security or doorbell camera footage.
Investigators are "looking at all options right now, including arson," according to Janna-Lee Holland, a spokesperson for the Provo Police Department, and that evidence may help.
The blaze burned power lines, causing outages in the city, including the dispatch center. It was "running on generator power and ... overwhelmed with inquiry calls," the fire department said.
Widespread power outages, mostly in the west of the city, were restored between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., with the more local impacts restored soon after, Holland says.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 801-852-6268, or upload footage through the Provo police website.
