SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall has ordered an "immediate audit" of city-owned property, days after a fire sparked on city land destroyed two dozen apartment units in Millcreek.
According to Mendenhall spokesperson Andrew Wittenberg, departments will assess all properties that the city owns or is responsible for "to assess the conditions of the property under their purview."
Salt Lake City code states that weeds on city property should not exceed six inches.
A week before Friday's Millcreek fire, the city was warned that the growth on the land next to the Willow Glen Apartments was over the limit. A lawnmower used by crews sent to cut the overgrowth later sparked the fire that quickly grew in size.
Residents displaced by Millcreek apartment building fire will receive $2,300+ per unit:
The property that caught fire is used as a maintenance yard that houses multiple groundwater wells that provide drinking water to the Salt Lake Valley.
"A large portion of the property houses groundwater wells that are part of our drinking supply and kept in a natural state," explained Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities Director Laura Briefer on Monday. "So… we do maintain that property, and I know we have had complaints, and I’m looking into that."
In a statement Monday, Mendenhall said Salt Lake City is cooperating with fire investigators to determine the exact cause of the fire.
