WEST HAVEN, Utah, Aug. 15, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — At least 50 firefighters from multiple agencies battled a fierce blaze that was threatening businesses, including an auto repair shop and auto sales lot, Saturday afternoon in West Haven.
Deputy Fire Chief Britt Clark, with Weber Fire District, said a call was received at about 4:30 p.m. reporting a brush fire just off the railroad track 1900 West just south of Midland Drive.
“Soon after, the dispatcher reported that vehicles were catching on fire, and when the first crews got here a trailer was fully involved in fire outside some businesses. Soon after that, several vehicles caught on fire,” Clark told reporters at the scene.
He said at least 15 vehicles behind the auto repair and sales business were lost to the fire. Of the three businesses that were threatened, that one suffered “some minor damage” because several of the vehicles were parked right up against the building.
“There was some damage to the outside of the building,” Clark said. “Some of the windows popped, so some fire got into the building, but they had a sprinkling system that put the fire out on the inside, so there was minimal damage on the building.”
A major concern for the fire crews was the possibility of explosions.
“There were railroad tankers sitting on the track,” Clark said. “We were worried about possible explosions since we didn’t know what was in them. Later, we found out they were clean and empty.”
He added that a couple of explosions were heard, probably from tires or possibly fuel tanks on the cars that burned.
“Inside the mechanics shop there were some acetylene tanks we were worried about, but none became involved, so we felt fortunate about that,” he said.
Crews were still in the process of putting out hot spots at 6 p.m., and the cause of the blaze was still being investigated.
Ultimately, the blaze involved multiple vehicles, equipment, and two structures, as well as threatening railroad tank cars, an apartment complex, and multiple other structures, Weber Fire District said in a Facebook post later Saturday night.
Firefighters responded from Roy, South Ogden, Ogden, South Weber, North Davis, Clinton, Weber Fire District, and Hill Air Force Base. Utah Highway Patrol, Weber County Sheriff’s Office, and Roy Police Department also responded to the scene.
There were no injuries as a result of the fire. Clark said a couple of the firefighters had issues with the heat, but no one was transported to the hospital.
The area would be closed to traffic “probably a couple more hours, at least,” he said.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes known.
