SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City Fire crews were called to a blaze Sunday morning at a boarded up church slated for demolition, and found two people on a balcony screaming for help.
The church, former site of the Wells Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, would ultimately be a four-alarm fire with a crew of 80 firefighters knocking down the blaze.
The building had been unused since structural damage caused by a 2020 earthquake of 5.7 magnitude. Cpt. Brandt Hancuff, SLCFD, said police had visited the site multiple times to evict transients.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Hancuff said, adding that electricity had been cut to the building after the earthquake damage.
Dispatch received multiple calls at about 5:32 a.m., and responded to the scene, at 1990 S. and 500 East, in the Liberty Wells neighborhood. They found the 1926 church building engulfed in flames.
“One of the firefighters had their window down and heard people screaming,” Hancuff said. “They quickly realized that there was someone still there so they quickly went into rescue mode.”
The two people were found on a second-floor balcony at the front of the structure.
“When we show up to the vacant building, we don’t expect individuals to be there. So the crews are surprised when they showed up,” Hancuff said, adding “Those two individuals received minor injuries. They were treated on scene and then later released.”
Four engines were needed to battle the blaze so it didn’t spread. There was no need to save the condemned building. The South Salt Lake Fire Department also fought the fire, and Salt Lake City Police were on scene to assist with duties including traffic control.
Hancuff said the building will be demolished today due to safety concerns. The process will be lengthy, due to the need to check for hot spots and to preserve any evidence of the fire’s cause, he said.
