Business leaders say full recovery after massive Sugar House fire could take a while

SALT LAKE CITY — After a massive fire devastated an under-construction, six-story apartment complex in Sugar House, business leaders called on people to support neighboring businesses that faced a temporary closure.

“These (are) businesses, including some that just opened such as Pizza Volta, that are just getting their feet under them, only to find out that their buildings are without power, the roads are closed,” Sugar House Chamber co-chair Erika Wiggins told KSL TV. “We’re also coming into the holidays. This is a terrible time for these businesses to be shut down. It will hurt them for quite a while to lose many days of business.”

It was unclear late Wednesday exactly how long affected businesses would be closed.

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Wiggins said she was stunned when she learned of the fire that prompted the evacuation of hundreds of nearby residents.

“It’s completely tragic,” she said.

Members of the Sugar House Chamber on Wednesday also visited those displaced by the fire to offer assistance from the business community.

Full recovery, Wiggins acknowledged, likely would take quite a while.

“Obviously the impact of losing that much housing that was coming online — that’s going to be years,” Wiggins said.

She urged people to support the local businesses that had been impacted by the fire as soon as they reopen.

“It would make a large difference,” Wiggins said. “Every customer makes a difference.”