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SALT LAKE CITY — About 30 people were evacuated from their homes early Saturday morning while fire crews battled a four-alarm fire at a neighboring vacant warehouse.
About 5:45 a.m., dispatchers started receiving calls about smoke coming from the long-abandoned Utah Furniture Manufacturing Co. building on 300 South, between 500 West and 600 West.
Firefighters arrived a few minutes later, entered the building and discovered the fire was coming from the basement, said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Scott Freitag. Crews soon discovered the fire had spread to the attic in some areas of the warehouse, and all firefighters were ordered out of the building.
The roof of the building collapsed during the blaze, but the fire did not spread to other buildings, he said. No injuries have been reported, and nobody has informed fire crews of anyone missing in the building.
Investigators had not been able to enter the structure as of 11 a.m. Saturday, so the cause of the fire has not been determined.
The building has been abandoned for several years, though witnesses told firefighters the warehouse sometimes is used by people looking for a place to spend the night.
"We've had a number of reports from witnesses that people use this building to squat, spend the night, so we'll look at that angle," Freitag said.
Residents who live in the Artspace building just east of the fire were awakened by sirens and knocks on their doors.
Nichole Latham said she was ordered to leave her apartment about 7 a.m. She quickly grabbed shoes, clothes and some pictures — just in case.
"What do you grab," Latham said, "knowing that your house may burn down?"
Patrick Zierden, another Artspace resident, said he was worried about his two classic Lincoln Continentals in the parking garage. The garage door recently stopped working, he said, and he was unable to get the cars out.
Zierden said the only activity he's seen at the Utah Furniture Manufacturing Co. building has been homeless people walking back and forth between the bus station and nearby shelters.
Freitag said Artspace residents would be allowed to return to their homes "once the smoke is pretty much dissipated."
The section of 600 West between 200 South and 300 South has been closed while crews battle the blaze and put out hot spots.
The abandoned building is located across 600 West from the Salt Lake City Intermodal Hub. However, trains and buses have been able to arrive and depart on schedule, officials said.
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Story written by Jared Page with contributions from Nkoyo Iyamba
Email:jpage@ksl.com
