MILLCREEK — Leaders of Utah’s capital city say they are cooperating with firefighters as they continue to investigate a fire that destroyed a pair of apartment buildings in Millcreek, which began on land owned by Salt Lake City on Friday.
“First and foremost, I’m incredibly grateful there were no serious injuries associated with this fire, but my thoughts are with the families who are now facing the heartbreak of losing their homes,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement on Monday.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it originated within a Salt Lake City Public Utilities maintenance yard that houses multiple groundwater wells and pumps that help supply water to Salt Lake City. Firefighters were told that someone had been cutting grass before the brush fire began, Unified Fire Authority Capt. Tony Barker said Friday.
Unified firefighters responded to a report of a brush fire near 1300 East and 4600 South shortly before 2 p.m. Friday. With dry brush and vegetation in the area, the fire quickly spread to the Willow Glen Apartments next to the Salt Lake City Public Utilities facility, where it destroyed two of the four buildings within the complex.
Crews from several neighboring cities, including Salt Lake City, helped to extinguish the fire. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but no residents were injured.
The fire, however, displaced 79 people. Millcreek officials said their City Hall has been packed with donations since the fire, helping people who lost most, if not all, of their belongings. Several residents have already started crowdfunding campaigns, while the city launched its own online campaign* that had already raised over $16,000 by the end of the weekend, helping residents find new housing and cover other financial burdens.
“This kind of tragedy is everyone’s worst nightmare,” Millcreek City Councilwoman Cheri Jackson told KSL-TV. “A knock on the door telling people to leave immediately. (They) couldn’t even grab their pets, couldn’t grab any personal belongings.”
While the cleanup continues, the fire has not impacted the area’s water supply, said Laura Briefer, director of Salt Lake City Public Utilities. The department provides water to Salt Lake City, as well as portions of Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Millcreek and other parts of Salt Lake County.
“At this time, there is no threat to the drinking water supply in any of the municipalities served by Salt Lake City,” she said in a statement. “I am grateful that there are no serious injuries, but I am deeply saddened about the losses experienced by the Willow Glen community.”
Salt Lake leaders added Monday that they have been communicating with other agencies to assist in recovery efforts. In the meantime, they’re asking that people seeking to help out donate to Millcreek’s online campaign.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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