SALT LAKE CITY — It was an emotional day for many people in downtown Salt Lake City on Tuesday as owners shared what was a labor of love and a dream started decades ago, all went up in flames.
Late Monday, a massive fire started in the kitchen of the London Belle Supper Club, went on to destroy five businesses along Main Street.
"It’s just devastating. I don’t know. Just to see it, they’re completely destroyed," said Jason LeCates, whose Bourbon Group owned multiple restaurants damaged in the fire. "I don’t know, I don’t know. Hopefully, we can rebuild. It’s just kind of hard to digest it all right now."
Drone video shows destruction left behind after downtown fire:
Owners and employees arrived Tuesday morning, exchanging hugs and words of support.
LeCates's group owns both Whiskey Street and White Horse Spirits and Kitchen, putting together what they believe is the largest collection of whiskeys in the world.
"Blood, sweat and tears, you know, it’s my life journey," LeCates shared. "To see it go down so quickly is hard to handle."
The kitchen fire quickly spread between adjoining businesses.
"It’s sad. Really sad to see this, you know?" said Peter Marshall, owner of Utah Books and Magazines.
Watch full fire briefing with mayor, fire chief below:
The bookstore has been in business for 109 years, operating for the last 39 years on Main Street. While businesses next door were completely destroyed by the fire, Marshall's store went relatively untouched.
"I had a little water on my floor and they cut my locks, but that was it," Marshall said.
FOX 13 News was at the fire scene when Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall saw the devastation with her own eyes.
"It’s tragic," the mayor mourned. "These are really iconic buildings in our city, and this is tragic. It’s a really sad day."
The smell of smoke still permeated the air on Tuesday as people showed up to get a first-hand look at the damage. While it’s devastating to so many people, for the owners, it hits hard.
"I would walk up and down these streets and see them, and it was a dream to restore them… just devastating," shared landlord Eric Fuhrman.
Fuhrman has already vowed to rebuild but said right now, he and everyone else are just finding it hard to comprehend all that’s been lost.
"These are just beautiful historic buildings. We restored them 10-15 years ago," Fuhrman explained. "It was in terrible shape, we gutted them and put a lot of love into it.
"It means a lot to us."
And the buildings meant a lot to the entire city, with onlookers expressing grief at the loss of the businesses that were a thriving part of the downtown night scene.
"This is ground zero in our entertainment district. Social economy is what drives the downtown economy," said Dee Brewer with the Downtown Alliance.
The agency will work to get the businesses and owners back on their feet, and encourages everyone to do the same. The Downtown Alliance has launched the Main Street Fire Employee Assistance Program, with 100% of donations going directly to employees displaced by the fire to help cover expenses such as rent, groceries, and transportation during this difficult time.
Owners at other establishments on Main Street were cleaning up Tuesday morning as they attempt to reopen by the weekend.
"These other businesses that weren’t destroyed need our support as well," added Brewer.
Everyone on the scene the day after the fire expressed gratitude that there were no serious injuries and nobody was hurt among the employees and patrons.
"We’re not gonna, we’re not gonna let it go. We’ll rebuild and just do our best to get through this," LeCates emphasized.
"We’ll be back," added Fuhrman. "We’ll get through it."
