MURRAY, Utah, Oct. 12, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Firefighters responded to the scene of a major structure fire in Murray on Thursday afternoon after multiple callers reported billowing clouds of black smoke.
The first call came in at about 1:22 p.m., and crews from Murray City, South Jordan and South Salt Lake fire departments, and the Unified Fire Authority, responded to the fire, near 4500 South and 300 West.
The scene was a warehouse abandoned about a decade ago by Simpson Steel, according to Assistant Chief Mike Dykman, Murray City Fire Department.
“You could see it from quite a ways away,” Dykman said of the fire. “The building was reported by the first arriving unit as fully involved, which means a significant amount of flames and smoke.”
After finding a hydrant, crews took a defensive stance, fighting the fire from the outside, Dykman said.
“Basically, surround it and drown it,” he said. “But it takes a lot of manpower, working fast.
Dykman said the fire seems similar to several in that area in the summer.
“We’ve got quite a bit of a transient population that’s through here,” he said. “We’ve had numerous fires over the last few months in this area. At this point, we’re suspecting probably transients (caused the fire).”
The former Simpson Steel building is part of a building complex, which has been the site of several fires in that neighborhood.
Dykman said he was unsure if materials left in the building or the structure itself had initially fueled the fire.
No one was injured, including fire crews from the 10 or so units that responded, he said.
Traffic was disrupted in the neighborhood, and it slowed on nearby Interstate 15, Dykman said. He advised drivers in the area to look for alternative routes, but said traffic issues could be resolved as early as the evening commute.
