MILLCREEK, Utah — Nearly a month after a fire sparked by a lawn mower hitting a rock on public land destroyed two Millcreek apartment buildings, displacing dozens of residents, a new report details the early efforts made to douse the flames.
The Unified Fire Authority report says two Salt Lake City employees tried to extinguish the fire several times on July 25.
Investigators claim a worker called his supervisor for help, but by then, flames had grown to 10 feet high. The supervisor brought two extinguishers with him, but when they proved ineffective, he went to another location at the site to get two more extinguishers, which were unable to stop the fire. That's when the workers finally called 911, although it's unclear how much time elapsed between when the fire started and when they called for help.
“Initially, they thought it was something they could handle until, through their effort, they found out it would grow to a size that was beyond their abilities, and that was when they initiated a 911 call,” explained Capt. Tony Barker.
'All gone... it's a lot;' Families left to pick up pieces after homes destroyed in Millcreek fire:
Early activation of 911 is key, added Barker, who shared that the faster anyone can get firefighters on the move, the faster they can get to the scene.
“I think in a lot of these situations, there’s just this moment of pause; should I call or should I not call? Always call," Barker explained. "It’s so much easier for us to show up and for it to be nothing."
One of the several residents at the Willow Glen Apartments that were destroyed shared how he's always been taught to call first responders when things go wrong.
“I am pretty disappointed that they didn’t call 911 immediately," said Xander Gerber. "I honestly feel like it could’ve been put out if they would’ve called 911 the second that they started the fire, but I don’t think they should be vilified.
“I cannot imagine what it would be like to be the person who caused all of this to happen and displace so many people."
Raw drone video below shows devastation of Millcreek fire:
The final report from Unified Fire says the blaze will go down as an accidental fire, with officials counting on people learning from the mistakes of others.
“The way I think that this is a unique situation, we want to try to draw some lessons out of it that we can apply universally,” said Barker.
Following the devastating fire, Salt Lake City Public Utilities completed maintenance audits on all its properties.
