Salt Lake City received 'courtesy notice' before fire that destroyed 2 Millcreek buildings

MILLCREEK — Utah's capital city received a "courtesy notice" about overgrown weeds three days before a brush fire erupted on its property and quickly spread to a nearby Millcreek apartment complex, destroying a pair of buildings.

However, Salt Lake City officials say crews were unaware of the violation before the fire began.

The cause of Friday's fire is still under investigation, but it originated within a Salt Lake City Public Utilities maintenance yard that houses multiple groundwater wells and pumps that help supply water to Salt Lake City. KSL.com obtained a copy of the notice, which points out that weeds had surpassed 6 inches in height, violating Millcreek's weed control standards ordinance.

Weeds had already grown to 4 feet to 5 feet high in parts of the property, Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini said. Salt Lake City was given until Aug. 6 to rectify the situation or risk citations or fines.

A Salt Lake City Public Utilities spokesperson said the city received the notice, but not on July 22 — when it was issued — because it appears the notice was sent to another city department. It finally reached the right public utilities team late Wednesday, and had not been directed to a city maintenance team because most city employees were off for Pioneer Day, the day before the fire.

All indications suggest that an employee was mowing on city-owned property when the fire broke out, but the landscaping crew was unaware of the notice at the time of the fire, Laura Briefer, director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, told KSL.com on Monday.

"My understanding is we did have an employee out there that was mowing vegetation on the property, and that the mower may have struck a rock and created a spark," she said. "I'm hoping that the investigation report has a lot more of those facts."

The person operating the lawn mower at the time of the fire was still a "hero" because they called 911 to report the fire quickly, Silvestrini said.

Firefighters from Unified Fire Authority responded to a report of a brush fire near 1300 East and 4800 South shortly before 2 p.m. Friday. With dry brush and vegetation in the area, and stiff wind gusts at the time, the fire quickly spread to the Willow Glen Apartments next to the Salt Lake City Public Utilities facility, where it destroyed two of the four buildings within the complex.

In reporting the fire immediately, crews were able to evacuate residents.

"Had that not happened, and had our Unified fire folks not gotten there as quickly as they did, there could have been a loss of life because that fire was moving fast in the wind," Silvestrini said. "His quick reaction in calling it in, taking responsibility and all that was what we would expect everybody to do."

Crews from several neighboring cities, including Salt Lake City, assisted in extinguishing the fire. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, but no residents were injured.

Aiding impacted residents

The fire, however, displaced 79 people. Millcreek officials said their City Hall has been packed with donations since the fire, helping people who lost most, if not all, of their belongings. Several residents have already started crowdfunding campaigns, while the city launched its own online campaign* — which had already raised over $35,000 as of Monday afternoon — aimed at helping residents find new housing and cover other financial burdens.

Millcreek leaders also agreed to direct $11,000 toward "relocation costs" for affected residents during a meeting Monday evening.

"We want to get these folks some cash so that they can replace everything. They lost everything, so we want to help them with that," Silvestrini said.

Salt Lake leaders said Monday they have been in communication with other agencies to assist in recovery efforts. Briefer said she understands the pain residents are suffering because she lost her childhood home to a California wildfire in 2018.

The city is asking people who want to help to donate to Millcreek's online campaign.*

"My thoughts are with the families who are now facing the heartbreak of losing their homes," Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a statement.

Water supply not impacted

While the cleanup continues, the fire has not impacted the area's water supply to this point. Salt Lake City Public Utilities provides water to the state's capital, as well as portions of Cottonwood Heights, Holladay, Millcreek and other parts of Salt Lake County.

The department is still reviewing to see if any of the infrastructure was damaged, Briefer said. A few wells located closer to Willow Glen Apartments have been taken offline as a precaution and will be turned back on following an inspection.

She added that the department performs regular landscaping maintenance, but the city has received warnings from Millcreek from time to time, like last week's "courtesy notice." The landscaping that took place on Friday was part of the regular maintenance.

While unaware of the latest notice, Briefer said crews had recognized that the weeds had grown high in the area, which required even more extensive clearing. The fire broke out as crews worked on the property.

Public utilities officials are also awaiting an official fire investigation report before moving forward with their next steps. That report will be reviewed by city attorneys and other experts.

"We take this very, very seriously; and where we take responsibility, we will," she said.

What happened was "unfortunate," Silvestrini said, adding that is why the city enforces its weed height code. He believes the weeds on Salt Lake City's property should not have gotten so high, especially as drought grips the region.

It's a scenario that could play out elsewhere across the city and state.

"This is a lesson to everybody that complains about the city getting after them about weeds," he said. "This is why we do it. Even in a lawn, they can be a danger and start a fire."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Related topics