Fire Tears Through Salt Lake Community College Applied Technology Building

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – Flames quickly tore through the applied technology building on the campus of Salt Lake Community College and left behind extensive damage, firefighters said.

Unified Fire Authority spokesman Ryan Love said crews responded to the campus near 4600 South Redwood Road after 5 p.m. Monday and quickly had to take defensive positions outside the two-alarm fire.

“(They) immediately became overwhelmed by the intensity of the fire,” Love said. “We backed out all of our crews safely.”

Love said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

“Initially it did start on the rooftop and then made its way down through the structure,” he said.

Firefighters and workers said the building had been under renovation and few people were around when the fire broke out.

Printing services worker Steven Long, however, said he happened to be there at the time and heard a noise that sounded like fireworks.

“Within 20 seconds I was looking at the fire,” Long said. “I went and got a fire extinguisher, but by the time I got back to where the fire was, there was no way in heck I was going to get close to it, so I turn-tailed and I ran.”

Late Monday, several crews were preparing to watch the fire overnight and put out any hot spots.

Love said investigators weren’t likely to get into the building until Tuesday, when they would take a closer look at the cause and also at the extent of the damage.

He said it was unclear as of Monday evening whether the 39,000-square-foot building itself would be a total loss.

Long looked on in disbelief as firefighters dumped water on the area where he had been working earlier in the day.

“So, it’s been an exciting day,” he shrugged. “If you see a fire, get out. It’s just not worth it.”