NPS warehouse catches fire, causing up to tens of thousands in damages

SALT LAKE CITY — A warehouse fire at one of NPS’s main distribution centers in Salt Lake may have caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage. But officials say it could have been much worse.

The Salt Lake City Fire Department was called around 10 p.m. on Monday to 451 N Wright Brothers Dr. Officials said the fire was under control by midnight. 

NPS Director of Security Stan Alexander said they are happy no one else was in the building at the time.

 

“We were very fortunate that it stayed very localized, inside the warehouse and didn’t spread beyond a certain location, and could have easily caught other pallets and different things that were right by it,” Alexander said.

“But instead, it just shot straight up and stayed right in that area, and didn’t spread throughout the building. So we’re very fortunate.”

Smoke and water damage

Alexander said that NPS officials aren’t sure how much product they will be able to save from the warehouse. A water riser burst during the fire, and smoke filled the entire building. Costs could easily exceed tens of thousands of dollars, he said.

“That’s why we’ve got the disaster crew in here,” Alexander said. “Starting to work on all the water, having air scrubbers to clean the air and wipe down all of … the product that would have the smoke on it.”

He says they are working to get the warehouse back up and running as soon as possible so their employees can return to work. Right now, everyone who wants to work is being assigned to other areas of the company.

Other reading: Apartments burned in Millcreek deemed uninhabitable