'Heartbroken': Tenants of Midvale apartments damaged in blaze press for help, answers

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Tenants displaced from a Midvale apartment building torched in a blaze in late July seek answers.
They demonstrated outside the North Union Apartments complex, pressing for support and information about whether insurance will cover their lost items.
The blaze started July 31 and lasted more than 24 hours, displacing residents in the 220-unit complex.

MIDVALE — Tenants of a Midvale apartment complex heavily damaged in a fire sparked the morning of July 31 are clamoring for help and answers more than three weeks after the devastating blaze.

"They were heartbroken by the fire, then have to go back in, and they're heartbroken again when they see their place," said Jeremy Seeley, a tenant of the North Union Apartments complex. "And they're heartbroken a third time when their passports are missing, their valuables and jewelry gone."

Dozens of residents of the 220-unit complex at 942 N. Union Ave. and their supporters gathered outside the apartment building Saturday for a demonstration of sorts to air their concerns and press for information about whether insurance will cover their lost items.

More than 160 units were impacted by the fire, which burned for more than 24 hours.

"The fire was a disaster. What happened after was a failure from North Union (Apartments)," said Mia Miller, another tenant. She said some of her belongings were stolen and many former tenants of the building have launched online fundraising efforts on websites like GoFundMe.com to help cover their losses.

The website for the complex says it is now closed. The property is owned by North Union DE Partners, with a registered agent in Centerville, according to online Utah property records. It is managed by Keller Management, which didn't immediately respond to KSL queries seeking comment.

Those taking part in Saturday's action held signs reading "Shame on Keller," "Housing is a human right" and "Justice for NUA tenants." They want a plan put in place so they can access their belongings inside the torched building, more communication from apartment managers and a voice in what happens going forward. Some also said they're considering legal action.

Tenants of a Midvale apartment complex displaced after a devastating July 31 blaze demonstrated at the site on Saturday, pressing for answers and help. The photo shows one of the signs held by demonstrators. (Photo: Istvan Bartos, KSL-TV)

"For me personally it's too late, but what they can do is take some accountability and answer our questions, respond to us," said Savannah Page.

Seeley pointed a finger at what he described as miscommunication from the property's landlord on the need for insurance.

"A lot of us didn't have renters insurance because the landlord's agents told us we didn't need it," he said. "There was a lot of different messaging on that, so we're demanding changes there."

While critical of North Union managers, the demonstrators said they've gotten support from the broader community.

"Honestly, the community has helped. They've reached out more than the apartment complex has. Other apartments have been more generous than ours," Page said.

North Union officials allowed tenants from the first, second and third floors back into the building in the days after the fire to recover items, but not the fourth floor, which sustained the heaviest damage. Unified Fire Authority investigators said in the days after the blaze that they suspected a mechanical issue in the attic caused the fire.

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