Revellers at a gay nightclub in Salt Lake City were attacked with firebombs in the early hours of yesterday morning (16 August).

A crowd of around 40 people were pelted with burning flares while partying outside in the patio area of the Utah state capital’s popular nightspot JAM.

One punter, Fernando Noriega, described how he saw three young men flee from the scene after he others jumped the fence to see who was responsible.

‘All the sudden we saw something bright,’ the founder of website The Gay Hot Spot told the ABC4 news channel. ‘I thought they were fireworks on the floor.’

Fortunately, no-one was injured during the attack and the only evidence of the firebombs was scorched concrete and burnt wood fencing.

Neighbor Regan Mower says he saw the incident as it happened.

‘At first I just thought it was a practical joke. Then I saw people screaming and running inside.’

JAM owner Brian Morris told The Gay Hot Spot website that it was an ‘isolated juvenile prank’.

He said: ‘Unfortunately the kids that did this could have accidently injured someone or burned our building down.

‘We have hired a second security person to watch our patio area on busy nights to keep something like this from happening again.

‘JAM is an extremely safe place to be and we are dedicated to keeping it that way.’

An anti-gay hate karaoke night is reportedly planned at the club and police are appealing for people with more information on the incident to call them on +1 801 799 3000.