Fire Destroys Historic Building, Businesses In Tremonton

TREMONTON, Utah – A pile of rubble is all that remained after a fire destroyed a historic building that had stood in Tremonton since 1930.

The historic building was called a total loss and in all, six businesses and several apartments were destroyed.

“It’s still the shock of losing everything. I really had some hope that there would be some kind of structure left,” said Bill Pike, whose apartment was among those lost in the fire.

Firefighters said it was too dangerous to go inside and save the building.

As work crews cleaned up, the people who lived and worked at the Daryl Building thought about what’s left behind.

Six businesses, and three apartments are all now just a pile of rubble. Fire ripped through the Daryl Building in Tremonton Tuesday, destroying the 1930s structure. I'll have interviews with business owners and an apartment tenant on @KSL5TV at 5&6pm. pic.twitter.com/9dardFzhIq

— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) July 14, 2021

Christine Wahler lost her business of 25 years and Sharadawn Jones moved her shop to the building less than a year ago. “It’s devastating for all of us,” she said.

Investigators worked to narrow down the cause but several witnesses described the same thing.

“When I walk back, I heard a pop, an electrical pop,” said Lisa Miller.

Melissa Gross heard the same thing. “And then I heard the popping and I saw the flames.”

Firefighters arrived moments later but the fire had already moved into the attic which made it too dangerous to fight it from the inside.

The focus turned to save the building next door, which shared a wall with the Daryl Building.

Wahler said, “It had a lot of character. It’s very sad to see it gone. Very sad.”

She ran a business in the building with her sister. “And we loved Tremonton. We’ve loved the community and now everything is gone,” Wahler said emotionally. “So, I guess it’s just a new beginning, I guess.”

The Daryl Building has stood there since 1930. David and Hilda Holmgren built the building and named it after their son who died from polio.

For Jones, the old building was a new place for her nail business of 20 years.

She said it was hard to be there Wednesday. “I didn’t know if I wanted to come back,” she explained.

Jones was there the night before as demolition crews did their part.

“When they started, like, tearing into with, with a track hoe, that really, like – I mean I knew it wasn’t going to be salvageable anyway. But we just worked so hard to build all of this,” she added.

No major injuries were reported, but one firefighter was treated for dehydration.

Officials did not provide an estimate for the total damages.