SALT LAKE CITY — Days after a fire ravaged a vacant Salt Lake City building over the weekend, demolition crews were at work razing the site.
Demolition at the building at 220 South and 200 East began Wednesday, nearly 4 days after the overnight fire forced the evacuation of an apartment complex next door. The fire sparked late Friday, but reignited early Saturday and blanketed the downtown area with smoke.
As of Monday, nearly everyone who lived in the 61 units at the Randi apartments had been allowed to return, with six units remaining evacuated due to smoke debris from the fire.
Fire officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire.
As many stopped to watch the building demolished, they expressed concerns that it’s now another project making downtown navigation difficult.
“It’s been a nightmare, to be honest,” said Tim Pulley. “You got trash all over the ground, you got metal plates in the ground. It’s hard to get around for disabled people like me.”
For those who live and visit downtown Salt Lake City, in every direction you look you’re bound to see a road closure, a block sidewalk, or a crane in the sky.
“Usually it’s confined to one area but this seems like all of downtown is under construction,” said Bruce McFadden.
And if you don’t see it, you’ll hear it.
“Not super quiet, that’s for sure,” said Kehlten Hebden. “A lot of noise.”
Despite the detours, many try to keep an optimistic outlook.
“Everything’s a big mess,” said McFadden. “All I can think about is how nice it’s going to look when its finished.”
Salt Lake City’s engineering department programmed an interactive map that shows construction projects and their expected completion date. Some projects by the county, UTA, or other private companies might not appear on the map.
