SALT LAKE CITY — Damages are estimated to be in the millions after a kitchen fire was determined to be the cause of a three-alarm fire that started late Monday and affected several nearby buildings in downtown Salt Lake City.
Three firefighters were injured while putting out the flames, including one who was trapped under debris and needed to be rescued.
During a briefing on Tuesday, Salt Lake City Fire Department Chief Karl Lieb said five businesses were damaged during the fire that started inside the London Belle Supper Club at 321 S. Main Street just after 9 p.m. A third alarm was called about 40 minutes later due to the size of the fire.
In all, 78 firefighters from multiple agencies were called to the scene, with many remaining overnight.
"I want to say the firefighters did a tremendous job fighting this fire, particularly given the speed at which it spread, the fuel that was available to it, and the intensity," Lieb said. "And of course, the heat combined with the smoke provided some very challenging environment for us to mitigate this incident."
Watch full fire briefing with mayor, fire chief below:
Along with the firefighter who was trapped, another suffered a broken ankle, and one suffered from smoke inhalation. All those who were injured are doing well.
Damages to the buildings, some of which were constructed in the 1920s, are estimated to reach $5 million. In addition to London Belle, other businesses affected include Los Tapatios, White Horse Spirits and Kitchen, and Whiskey Street.
"The fire that happened last night is a tragic loss for Salt Lake City," said Mayor Erin Mendenhall. "These are iconic businesses in our downtown core, where so many of us, thousands of us, thousands of visitors come to have a good time, celebrate, connect, and support local business owners."
Drone video below shows downtown buildings burning during Salt Lake City fire:
Many who were inside the buildings were evacuated once the fire started, with Lieb acknowledging that the timing of the incident, on a Monday night, played a part in no civilians being injured.
"The buildings were occupied as they normally would be on any evening. I think we were fortunate that it was a weekday, and so maybe not as populated as it ordinarily would be," the chief explained.
The city's economic development team was already on location Tuesday, speaking with the business owners about an emergency loan fund that can be utilized to provide no-interest loans to cover costs after insurance assessments are finalized. Mendenhall added that the city will work to help out employees who will be unable to work at the locations due to the fire.
"This is a community of building owners, business owners, employees, and operators that we love and we need to wrap our arms as a community around them right now," she said.
Lieb was unsure of when the buildings had been inspected, but said the city has those records and will be looked at, and that the fire is still under investigation, which could take weeks.
