Construction site catches fire at Point of the Mountain near Lehi

SALT LAKE CITY – Smoke and flames were seen in Lehi near Interstate 15 at the Point of the Mountain Sunday morning.

Lehi City Fire Chief Jeremy Craft said the fire was called in by a security guard at a construction site near Flight Park Road in the Traverse Mountain area at approximately 10:17 a.m. He noted the construction project had 24-hour security.

Craft said 28 fire units, comprised of 100-120 firefighters from departments from Draper to Orem, responded to battle the fire.

When firefighters arrived, the four-story apartment building under construction was “fully engulfed in flames,” Lehi City said in a release. An adjacent one-story building was also engulfed.

Firefighters reportedly found that several other buildings were involved due to the wind, which had helped the fire jump from building to building, Craft said.

“These types of fires, all that open lumber, it’s just prime to burn,” Craft told KSL.

Craft said that based on the height of the fire, it would take an estimated 50,000 gallons of water per minute to battle the blaze.

“This is what we call a ‘y’all come fire’, so anyone (wanting) to fight fire, come on down and help us out,” Craft said.

At the time of publication, fire officials said the cause and ignition point were unknown. Craft said it was unclear how many alarms the fire would be classified.

Neighbors react

KSL was on the scene and talked to some of the neighbors near the fire.

Cindy Niko said she could feel the heat from the fire in her backyard.

“It was so hot. Like the heat, it was almost like you were standing in front of the fireplace, like right in front.”

The neighbors say the development had been under construction for about a year.
The property was going to be a multifamily development by national developer Wood Partners, which has a Utah office.

A press release said the Alta Vista complex would be part of a new master-planned community that includes a trail system, playground, and sports courts. It would be built near a proposed UTA TRAX stop.

“We know the person who owns it,” said Brianna Larson, who lives near the fire. “It hurts more when you (know), it’s not just some unknown entity that’s building, when it’s someone that you personally know that that’s their livelihood.”On Sunday afternoon, Lehi City said the majority of the building had collapsed, and the fire did not threaten nearby homes.

Two cranes at the fire site reportedly sustained significant heat damage. Lehi City said crews were closely monitoring them.

No injuries were reported.

Road closures

Minuteman Drive in Draper was closed at Marion Vista Dr. due to the fire, the Draper Police Department said in a Facebook post Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, the city said in a post on X that Minuteman Drive had been reopened.

Lehi City asked that people avoid the north end of Traverse Mountain, including Flight Park Road and nearby walking trails. Frontage Road is reportedly open. 

Photos of fire

Residents near the Point of the Mountain fire got clear shots of the flames.

 

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This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.