Pictures show a van swallowed by fire. So why wouldn't the owner of the van want some help? Eyewitnesses tell ABC 4 the van was part of a police undercover investigation.
A van on fire is not normally worth alerting the media, but Josie Thomas says there was something different about this one.
"It looked like surveillance to me," Thomas said.
Josie said after hearing an explosion people in her apartment complex rushed outside.
"Some gentleman was pulling stuff out on the lawn and smoke was coming out the back of the van not the front," Thomas said.
So, she began snapping pictures. Looking closely at the photos, you can see clothing and what looks to be an evidence kit. She said two men near the van pulled out their two way radios and gave the address. Another witness said the men specifically asked them to not call emergency crews.
"They didn't call 911, they used the garden hose to put it out," said Jessica Barrona.
Moments later, without a call to 911, what they say, appeared to be other undercover officers, surrounded the scene.
"It was weird that there were so many out of uniform police here at a quick time instead of uniform police," Barrona said.
Once the fire was put out, a Salt Lake City fire truck was called to help clean up. Without a word to neighbors, the van was towed away.
We wanted answers, so we contacted salt lake police to find out more. They said the van did not belong to them, but the firefighter that responded said it may be a state owned car. We put in a call to them but haven't heard back.
