SALT LAKE CITY — Firefighters spent nearly 12 hours battling a three-alarm fire that started at a pallet supplier and spread to two recycling centers Thursday morning.
Capt. Brandt Hancuff with the Salt Lake City Fire Department said crews were called to the area of 3000 W. 900 South before 12:30 a.m.
“Pretty much everything that’s been within this property has ignited,” Hancuff said. “The good news is there are no injuries to civilians or to firefighters at this time.”
Firefighters used a defensive strategy due to the size of the fire and high winds in the area. Hancuff said they saw “a number of explosions during this firefight” as several semitrailers on the property caught fire and their tires exploded. Crews estimated the fire to be 5-6 acres.
6:05 look at the fire being dumped in the area.
They’ve been activiely fighting this fire since after midnight. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/GE3XOTALHq
— Karah Brackin (@kbontv) June 27, 2024
Firefighters also protected two large propane tanks on the east side of the structure.
“Luckily we’ve been able to keep the fire in check and keep it from spreading to the other business,” Hancuff said.
SLC Fire Capt. Chad Jepperson told KSL TV heat played a role in firefighting as crews need to be rotated in and out.
“This has been a big tax on SLC fire,” Jepperson said.
Overall, around 70 firefighters worked the fire, with many working overnight.
“Much less it was the end of their shift. They’d been dealing with 90-degree temperatures for two days,” Jepperson said.
Jepperson said the fire started at Pallet Express and torched its perimeters, spreading to Rocky Mountain Recycling to the east and Metro Recycling to the west.
Using thousands of gallons of water to knock the fire down, Jepperson said they would keep a close watch on any pop-up fire, plus the roof, throughout the day Thursday.
“Roof on the building sustained quite a bit of damage, and so that makes it dangerous to go under,” Jepperson said.
900 South was closed between 2700 West and 3200 West while crews were on scene.
