Natural gas explosion rattles businesses on North Temple overnight
May 5, 2025, 6:20 AM | Updated: 9:52 am
An explosion on the intersection of North Temple and Redwood Road on May 5, 2025. (Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio)
(Adam Small/KSL NewsRadio)
SALT LAKE CITY — A natural gas explosion in Salt Lake City shook multiple buildings on North Temple early Monday. Fortunately, police said no one was injured.
At approximately 3:15 a.m., Salt Lake City police said the explosion caused several windows to blow out of a Chevron gas station convenience store near 1700 West and North Temple.
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The Salt Lake City Fire Department led the investigation, which determined nobody was inside at the time and there was no further risk to the community.
Division Chief Bob Silverthorne with SLCFD said no flames broke out after the explosion, and the reason for that was still being investigated.
“Crews got there initially, and they found the windows to be blown out of this building. So, possibly, no real fire. (It was) possibly like, you know, a natural gas sort of explosion, and then that kind of blew the fire out,” he said. “… We found some load-bearing walls to be blown out in addition to the windows exploding and some damage to the trusses inside.”
Best image this morning of the explosion at a Chevron gas station convenience store & restaurants building in Salt Lake City. On @KSL5TV at 6:30 hear from one of the ExtraMile employees schedule to work this morning, who would’ve been in the building 20 min later. pic.twitter.com/By97bEXGqP
— Brian Carlson (@briancarlsontv) May 5, 2025
As of 6 a.m., the total damage was still being assessed, but at least three nearby businesses were found to be involved, with broken windows of their own. Silverthorne said he’s received reports that the nearby Apollo Burger, Carl’s Jr., and the gas pumps themselves are unharmed.
Silverthorne said a building engineer was expected at the scene to help determine the structural integrity of the businesses before they were expected to open.
“You don’t want to occupy something that has any load-bearing walls that have been affected or, you know, anything like that. They need to make sure it’s stable before they run businesses out of there.”
All utilities were shut off as a precaution in the hours afterward.
This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.
