Salt Lake City, Utah: Fire Damages 12 Vehicles in Airport Economy Parking Lot

A fire that started in one parked vehicle spread across a row of cars at Salt Lake City International Airport on Friday morning, October 23, damaging 12 vehicles before firefighters put it out. No one was injured, the Salt Lake City Fire Department said.

The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. at the airport's economy parking lot, Gephardt Daily reported. FOX 13 reported that several vehicles parked at the airport were seriously damaged or destroyed in the fire, which broke out in the economy lot on Friday morning.

Wind pushed the fire from car to car

The fire department pointed to two things that let a single vehicle fire grow into a dozen damaged cars: how close the vehicles were parked to each other, and the wind on Friday morning.

"Due to the proximity of the vehicles and the winds this morning, the fire had extended and damaged 12 vehicles," a statement from the Salt Lake City Fire Department says, quoted by Gephardt Daily. FOX 13 likewise reported that the fire was spurred by strong winds, according to the fire department.

The economy lot is the airport's long-term parking lot, where travelers leave their cars for the length of a trip. That means many of the owners of the damaged vehicles were not at the airport when the fire broke out at about 6 a.m., and some may learn about the damage only when they return.

An electrical malfunction is the working explanation

The fire is under investigation, but the department says it has already identified the vehicle where the fire started.

"There were no injuries and the fire is under investigation, but we have identified the vehicle of origin and at this time are investigating it as an electrical malfunction," the fire department statement says.

Officials have not said how many of the 12 vehicles were destroyed and how many were damaged but repairable, what the total loss is worth, or whether the fire disrupted any flights or parking operations at the airport on Friday. The reports from the scene described damage inside the economy lot only, and no injuries of any kind were reported by either outlet covering the fire.

For travelers parked in the economy lot, the practical question is whether their car was in the affected row. The fire department and the airport had not published a list of affected vehicles in the reports available on Friday morning, and owners who are away will have to wait for word from investigators or the airport.