Fire Damages Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Meetinghouse in Cottonwood Heights
Jul 14, 2019, 5:13 PM | Updated: 9:21 pm
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah – An early-morning fire damaged a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse in Cottonwood Heights Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Unified Fire Authority said the fire was reported at the meetinghouse at 3625 East Dover Hills Drive around 2:45 a.m. by a neighbor who smelled smoke. When fire crews arrived, they found flames coming from the roof and called in a second alarm. They had the fire under control by about 3:30 a.m.
“It’s really hard. It touches my heart,” said Dan Steele, a member of the church.
Steele and several other members gathered to see the damage Sunday morning.
“My parents helped build this church. I’ve served an LDS mission. This is where I gave my mission farewell and homecoming talk,” Steele said. “This is where we grew up. This has been home for 40 years for me,”
Sunday’s services were moved to a nearby meetinghouse.
Keith Garner, a UFA spokesperson, said flames damaged the front foyer and hallways of the building. Smoke damage extended further.
“Smoke can cause almost as much damage as anything else, so a lot of times with smoke damage it’s going to have to be completely redone as well,” Garner said.
Investigators are looking into what caused the fire. So far, there is no indication of a cause. Investigators want to know if anyone in the area noticed anything suspicious before the fire started.
