SALT LAKE CITY -- At least two businesses were destroyed Sunday afternoon as a fire ripped through a Salt Lake City industrial park.
The initial call went out around 3:30 p.m. at the address 3400 West and 900 South. Firefighters not only had to keep the fire from spreading to vegetation, but they also had to avoid a series of explosions.
"It sounds like possibly propane for fork lifts is what we are dealing with, at this time they are very dangerous, we have withdrawn from the very immediate area at this time until we can get those explosions under control," said Captain Mark Bednarik of the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
It took about 50 Salt Lake City firefighters and back-up help from neighboring cities before the blaze was contained about two hours later. Firefighters used ladder trucks to spray the flames from above. It is believed the fire originated in a semi-trailer parked outside.
"When they arrived they found one semi-trailer that was on fire and begun to spread into one of the businesses--we have multiple businesses that are interconnected in this area," Bednarik said.
At least two of the businesses affected include Mountain Leather Works and Wasatch Frames.
"They've been the ones that have been giving us information about what's inside these trailers as well as what's inside their businesses. They've been very helpful, very forthcoming with information," Bednarik said.
The fire also engulfed the vegetation surrounding the outside of the buildings. In total, flames consumed about one acre of land.
"There is a lot of dry grass, a lot of tall dry grass in the area, again where the trailer is there is also other stuff out in this yard, there are pallets and things like that, those have caught fire," Bednarik said.
Some of these buildings will be considered a total loss, but according to the fire department: no injuries were reported.
"It doesn't appear that anybody was working at the time of these incidents," Bednarik said. "Being that it's Sunday, not a lot of workers out in this area."
The cause of this fire is still under investigation. The fire department does not consider the fire suspicious at this time.
