Magna house fire investigated as possible arson, suspect in custody

MAGNA, Utah (ABC4) — A house fire at a residential neighborhood in Magna is now being investigated as a possible arson, with one woman being taken into custody as a suspect.

Firefighters with the Unified Fire Authority responded to the home around 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20. Benjamin Porter, a spokesperson for UFA, told ABC4.com that firefighters were able to quickly put out the small fire in the home’s basement.

Several people were reportedly inside the home at the time of the fire, but Porter said they were all able to safely self-evacuate and there were no injuries.

After a preliminary investigation, one woman, identified as Alexis Jennifer Crumback, 38, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Court documents indicate she faces on count of first-degree felony aggravated arson.

According to the court documents, residents of the home said the room where the fire started belonged to Crumback, who could not be found while firefighters were on scene. Investigators report the fire did not appear to be started through any electrical cause or “obvious ignition source.”

After Crumback was safely taken into custody, officials report she made statements about how she would “come back and burn the house down” after being released.

Crumback has been ordered to be held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.

Court records show Crumback has a history of arson dating back as far as 2017. Crumback pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony count of attempted arson in 2018 for an incident at a Salt Lake City home the year before, where she reportedly set a carport and attached studio on fire.

Crumback pleaded guilty again to third-degree felony arson in 2022 for a 2021 incident where she reportedly set a minivan on fire in Salt Lake City. The minivan became a complete loss after it became fully engulfed in flames, also damaging nearby power lines.