SALT LAKE CITY — A large, three-alarm fire burned through a commercial area of Salt Lake City on Tuesday, sending a massive plume of smoke that was seen across the valley.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department first received a call just after 3 p.m., and reported the fire was located at a recycling business in the area of 369 S. Orange Street. At least 60 firefighters across multiple departments were able to douse most of the flames by 5 p.m., but were still trying to contain the smoke.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Fire officials hold briefing on Salt Lake City fire below:
No one was injured in the fire, and no evacuations at other buildings were deemed necessary.
The size of the fire and its location made it difficult to battle.
"Typical large commercial structure fires, they take a little while to get the amount of water, the building broken down enough where we can get water on the fire," said Capt. Chad Jepperson. "You imagine that you have to get through the structure to get to the seat of the fire."
Video below shows massive plume of smoke rising from fire:
The fire department is asking people to avoid the area.
"If you can smell the smoke, try to stay out of it," added Capt. Jepperson. "There's been a lot of people that have tried to get close, whether they're walking or driving, and any fire smoke, even if it's a clean burn, is not something that you want to mess with."
The Salt Lake City School District canceled the after-school program at Edison Elementary due to the fire, which dropped debris onto the school building.
