SALT LAKE CITY — A four-alarm fire broke out at a Salt Lake City church early Sunday morning, prompting a large response and numerous road closures in the area.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department said multiple calls came in around 5:30 a.m. reporting a fire at the Wells Ward Chapel at 1990 S. 500 East.
Once on scene, crews encountered heavy smoke and flames, with the building fully engulfed. They also heard screams coming from a balcony and later located and rescued two people, who suffered minor injuries.
Soon, multiple fire crews, approximately 80 firefighters in total, responded to the scene to help get the flames under control. Crews from South Salt Lake Fire also responded to assist.
Fortunately, no utilities nor electricity were running into the building. Due to the damage, Salt Lake City Fire plans on demolishing it.
The building was damaged in the 2020 earthquake and has sat vacant ever since. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had previously put the building up for sale with the caveat that it be demolished, and later this month, the church had plans to do it themselves. But as investigators try to figure out the cause of the fire, part of the building now needs to be demolished ahead of schedule.
UPDATE: Demolition has started on the Wells Ward Meeting house @fox13 pic.twitter.com/qUBmETuJBw
— Spencer Joseph (@SpencerJosephTV) May 26, 2024
"It's an old LDS chapel," said Salt Lake City Fire Capt. Brandt Hancuff. "It was slated for demolition in the coming weeks... We had multiple collapses throughout the firefight, and it's rendered this building obviously uninhabitable [and] unsafe to be around."
This is a developing story. FOX 13 News will continue to provide updates as they are made available.
