Fire at Kenworth Sales in West Valley City causes close to $1M in damages

Nine semi-trucks were destroyed and three more were damaged after a fire at Kenworth Sales in West Valley City Sunday evening. Photo Courtesy of S.S.

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, July 2, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Nine semi-trucks were destroyed and three more were damaged after a fire at Kenworth Sales in West Valley City Sunday evening.

The blaze at the company at 2125 S. Constitution Blvd. (2700 West) was first reported at approximately 8:15 p.m., West Valley City Fire Battalion Chief Bob Fitzgerald told Gephardt Daily, but surveillance camera footage shows it started around 45 minutes before anyone noticed.

Fitzgerald said the fire began inside one of the semi cabs, and at this time it appears it broke out as a result of a mechanical fault. The blaze does not appear suspicious, he added.

Approximately 20 firefighters from West Valley City and South Salt Lake battled the fire.

Fitzgerald said that because no one was on site, crews had to cut through the locks on a gate to access the blaze.

Only the cabs of the semis were destroyed or damaged, as they were not hooked up to trailers, though one of them did have a compartment built onto it. The three that were not completely destroyed sustained “exposure” damage.

“It was a little bit scary for a minute as some of the tires were exploding,” Fitzgerald said.

Crews had the fire under control in 25-30 minutes, but were on scene until around 10:30 p.m. mopping up hot spots. Investigators were then at the site late into the night.

No one was injured as a result of the fire.

Fitzgerald said the estimate on damages is close to $1,000,000.

He added that the fire could have been far worse if the winds had been as strong as they were earlier in the weekend.

Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here