60 evacuated after apartment unit catches fire in Tooele

TOOELE, Utah — Sixty people were evacuated from an apartment complex in Tooele on Wednesday after a fire broke out in the building.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Authorities said the blaze broke out in a unit on the third floor of The Kirk Apartments — located at 57 W. Vine Street — earlier that morning.

Nicholai Jacobs was in Bountiful when he got the news of the fire at his apartment.

“You just never know what might happen,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs’ dog was home at the apartment at the time the fire broke out.

“I apologize for not doing the speed limit, but it’s family. You gotta do what you gotta do,” Jacobs said.

“We did evacuate the whole building for precautionary reasons,” Tooele Fire Chief Matt McCoy said.

The fire itself was contained to just the apartment where it started on the third floor. Firefighters had it out in minutes.

“Definitely an old structure. It was built in 1928. Being on the third floor, those posed some challenges for us, and then the main thing was getting people evacuated quickly,” McCoy said.

“Thank you, Tooele. Thank you, Tooele County. Thank you to everybody who made this possible to make sure that everyone is safe and sound,” Jacobs said.

All 60 residents were relocated Wednesday night, with help from the Red Cross.

The cause of the fire cremains under investigation.