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SALT LAKE CITY — Fire crews rescued residents and knocked down flames at the scene of a five-alarm fire at a Salt Lake City apartment building Monday morning.
Residents on the fourth and fifth floors of the Incline Terrace Apartments, 1032 E. 400 South, reported the fire about 2 a.m., according to Salt Lake Fire Capt. Anthony Burton.
When crews arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames on those floors and used ladders to rescue some people. Other residents were escorted from the building's hallways. Fire officials went through the building and believe everyone is accounted for, Burton said.
Resident Alex Sallade told KSL he and another man knocked on people's doors and yelled "fire" to alert other residents. Nathan Vaughn didn't live inside the building but ran across the street to wake up his friend, Sallade, and other residents.
"It wasn't like a conscious choice of, 'I need to go help those people,'" Vaughn said. "It was like an automatic response: 'I need to put my shoes on and I need to get over there as fast as I can.'"
"In my opinion, he was the one who saved everybody because I wouldn't have woken up probably until the fire was too close," Sallade said of Vaughn.
Alex Sallade says one guy saved their lives by yelling fire and pounding on doors. He joined him. He did not hear smoke alarms. This is 425 S 1000 East in a five alarm fire in Salt Lake City pic.twitter.com/9uvtW8xQhz
— Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) June 28, 2021
No major injuries were reported, but two people were taken to local hospitals for evaluation.
"Due to the quick action of the other residents or their neighbors inside the structure, this was a best-case scenario," said Capt. Tony Stowe with the Salt Lake City Fire Department.
Parts of the building's interior collapsed, and crews are continuing to douse hot spots. No cause for the fire or damage estimate are available.
A bus was provided for evacuated residents, and the Red Cross was on scene to help them.
Five Alarm Structure Fire Operations continue on 400 South. We ask the community to avoid the area with emphasis on 4th and 5th south from 9th east to 13th east. Smoke is through out the community pic.twitter.com/1U52gu7jaJ
— Salt Lake City Fire Department (@slcfire) June 28, 2021
Contributing: Morgan Wolfe, KSL TV; Matt Rascon, KSL TV; Mary Richards, KSL NewsRadio
