SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 7, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A large apartment fire in Salt Lake City early Monday morning has injured three people and caused nearly $300,000 in damages.
Crews were called to the two-alarm apartment fire at 825 E. 600 South at approximately 4:30 a.m, according to tweets from Salt Lake City Fire Department. The fire, which was brought under control in 30 minutes, displaced at least 40 people, and a total of 30 units were evacuated.
Of those, 14 units were rendered uninhabitable, and 10 apartment units received minor damages. Doors were blistered and windows shattered by the heat. Smoke damaged the inside of some of the apartment units, however firefighters prevented fire from spreading into the units.  The apartment building received some fire damage along the roof-line.  The north building of the complex with the 14 units was uninhabitable due to heat damage and public utilities being shut off. The south building with 16 units still had public utilities and occupants will be able to return to them.
Seventeen cars were impacted by the fire, with 12 being destroyed.
Three civilian injuries were reported; two people had burns, and one had inhaled smoke. The two with burns were transported by ambulance, and the third was transported by family members.
Investigators reported the fire started in a carport storage room, and was determined to be accidental. The cause is undetermined at this time.
Jacky Romero, a resident of the apartment complex, spoke with Gephardt Daily.
“One of the storage sheds was on fire, and one of the guys was trying to put it out that was here but there was combustion in there,” he said. “There were spray cans, and it just went poof, and it blew up and it just traveled all the way down and tore every car up. Caught my apartment on fire, I couldn’t get out of my place, I had to jump out of my back window, so yeah, it was a nightmare.”
Romero also described the moment he saw the fire threatening his apartment.
“I could feel it just in the hallway right there, the heat was just tearing it up. As soon as I opened my door, I saw a piece of flame just squeezing inside of there, like backdraft. I am grateful these guys showed up fast or it could have been worse, because our gas line’s just on the other side of that wall. The next step is to clean up and pray for the best.”
Red Cross Utah responded to find placement for those who are displaced, and Utah Transit Authority provided a bus to shelter residents.
