- Witnesses recount a powerful explosion at a Herriman strip mall Saturday night.
- Employees urged evacuation after hearing hissing sounds, suspecting a gas leak.
- Three people were hospitalized; Riverton police are investigating the cause of the crash.
HERRIMAN — Witnesses described a blast so powerful they felt it, as some returned Sunday to survey the damage at a strip mall where a crash, fire and explosion took place Saturday night.
"It was crazy, man," said Trayce Young, who was in the drive-thru of the nearby Taco Bell at the time of the crash. "I was a little bit scared because I was thinking there was going to be an explosion. There's a gas line. You could hear this big 'whooshing' sound."
After the collision near 5200 West and 13400 South, Jimmy John's worker Austin Spencer told KSL-TV he also heard a disconcerting hissing sound.
"I'm like, 'This is not right,'" Spencer said. "I told everyone to get out and call the cops, and I turn around the corner and I see flames."
Spencer then went next door to Domino's to make sure everyone was aware of what sounded like a gas leak. He said it appeared the workers there did not realize what the situation was.
"They were all there, just thinking the soda fell off and all exploded," Spencer said. "I was like, 'Everyone, get out.'"
Sam Horn, another witness, described a "huge fire" as other people were working to pull the driver out of an SUV that hit the building.
"The car was like halfway on fire, and the building was up in flames, just burning," Horn recalled.
Related:
2 bystanders rescued vehicle occupants seconds before explosion
A three-car accident sent one vehicle into a building, rupturing a gas line and igniting a massive fire, Unified Fire Authority posted on X. "Two bystanders risked their lives to rescue the driver and passenger from the burning vehicle just moments before it was engulfed in flames."He, Spencer and others were still nearby when the building exploded.
"I saw things fly, and I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I need to run,' and I just ran," Spencer said.
Young said he was stunned by the explosion.
"I could feel it in my chest," Young told KSL-TV. "I look up, and I see a big old mushroom cloud and the roof is probably 30, 40 feet above me."
According to a statement from Herriman Sunday, the "long-term status" of the strip mall is being evaluated.
I look up, and I see a big old mushroom cloud and the roof is probably 30, 40 feet above me.
–Trayce Young
Meanwhile, the Riverton Police Department is investigating the ordeal.
Spokesman Josh Lee said three people were transported to the hospital with injuries after the crash, but it appears everyone made it out of the building before the blast occurred.
The cause and contributing factors of the crash are still getting a closer look, he said.
Spencer expressed relief that everyone escaped the building before the explosion.
"I still think it's a fever dream," Spencer said.
Horn was also in disbelief over what took place.
"It doesn't seem real," Horn said. "I was at this Domino's a couple of weeks ago, just getting some food, and now it's just completely gone. (It's) just wild how something happens so fast."
