LEHI, Utah — The Lehi Police Department says an explosion that forced 90 families to evacuate early Tuesday morning was the result of a mental health episode. Police did not state the specific cause of the explosion as it remains part of an ongoing investigation.
The explosion occurred just after 4 a.m. inside an apartment occupied by a husband and wife at the Lehi Tech Apartments at 200 South 1350 Street. The couple received only minor injuries.
In total, 90 units were evacuated as police and firefighters responded and investigated. All but eight were allowed to return to their homes later in the day. The residents of the one where the explosion occurred, along with seven units below it that received water damage from the sprinklers, were displaced until the damage is fixed.
The American Red Cross is helping those who were displaced, and the apartment managers are allowing families to stay in unoccupied units away from the scene of the incident until they are able to return to their homes. The Red Cross said they're also helping residents get access to essentials like clothing, food, and medications.
Charges related to the incident have now been submitted to the Utah County Attorney's office for screening. Officials say the necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the individual involved gets the help they need.
“I just heard it, sounded like lightning striking a tree, and then, like a big crack and fall, and then probably, like 10 seconds after that, the alarm started to go off,” said Haley Jibson, who lives in the building.
Jibson added that she ran out of her apartment after hearing the explosion.
“You can see that, like the sliding glass door had completely gone off and the window to the bedroom had been blown off as well,” she said.
With the fire suppression system back up, Livingston shared what else needs to be done before residents are allowed back inside their homes.
“Now they're working on the electricity, and also some of the utilities, trying to get that back up so some of these residents can get back into their units,” she said.
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For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
