THURSDAY 10/21/2021 7:06 a.m.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have released a statement following a fire at the historic Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.
Emergency crews responded to a fire at the building on South Temple around 7 p.m. Wednesday night. Smoke and flames could be seen rising from the roof of the building. The photos in the slideshow below, shared with ABC4, show the response the fire prompted.
Within a half-hour, Salt Lake City Fire crews were able to get the fire under control. No injuries were reported and construction debris is believed to have contributed to the fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been released but a statement released by the Church indicates self-ignition may be to blame.
At around 7:00 [Wednesday night], a fire started on the second-floor roof of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. The most likely cause of the fire is from combustible construction materials that ignited on their own. We are grateful for the quick response of emergency personnel, who were able to extinguish the fire and are on-site conducting their investigation. We are also grateful that no one was injured in this incident and that property damage is minimal and the building will be operational tomorrow.
Additional details have not yet been released. Scroll down for previous coverage.
Crews tackle fire at Joseph Smith Memorial Building
WEDNESDAY 10/20/2021 10:32 a.m.
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The Salt Lake City Fire Department has put out a fire at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building Wednesday evening.
The building is located at 15 E. South Temple in downtown Salt Lake City.
Firefighters were called to the scene around 7:18 p.m. after reports of smoke and flames billowing from the roof of the historic building.
Photos below are courtesy of Mayra Garcia.
After firefighters arrived, the fire was upgraded to two alarms, and additional crews were called to the scene to help tackle the flames.
The Salt Lake City Fire Department says they took an aggressive approach and were able to get the fire under control in under 30 minutes.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Officials believe that construction debris on the roof of the building somehow caught fire, causing the smoke and flames. The building suffered minor water damage.
The cause of the fire, however, is still under investigation.
South Temple is currently closed and will be for 1 to 2 hours. Firefighters ask that the public avoid the area.
ORIGINAL STORY: DEVELOPING: Crews respond to fire at Joseph Smith Memorial Building
WEDNESDAY 10/20/21 7:49 P.M.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Crews are responding to a fire on the roof of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
The building is located at 15 E. South Temple.
According to the Salt Lake City Fire Department, there may be construction debris that caught fire on the roof of the building.
A nearby traffic camera shows several fire trucks on the scene.
ABC4 has a crew heading to the scene to gather more information.
No further details on the fire have been released yet.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as more information becomes available