Massive fire destroys snowplows in Utah, causes millions in damages

SANDY, UT (KSL) — A massive fire overnight at Sandy’s public works building brought out more than 100 firefighters and likely cost the city its fleet of snowplows.

Losses in the fire have not been calculated as crews remain unable to access inside the building, but costs are estimated to be in the millions of dollars, Sandy Fire Battalion Chief Eric Larson said.

“This is a major loss for the city,” Larson said.

The blaze was reported about 11:30 p.m. Thursday in the building at 8775 S. 700 West, dispatchers confirmed. Crews from multiple agencies were still dousing the building into early Friday.

Larson believes the blaze may have started in a vehicle and then quickly spread. The fire brought the building’s roof crashing down onto the city’s fleet of snowplows.

“A majority of the plow trucks and salt trucks that were in there, they’ve been destroyed in the fire,” Larson said.

The first firefighters arriving at the scene encountered a large amount of smoke coming from the building and immediately called for backup, Larson said. Response continued to build until four alarms had been called out on the fire, with crews responding from Unified Fire Authority, West Jordan, South Jordan, Murray, South Salt Lake and Salt Lake City.

The crews managed to save about half of the building, including office spaces and storage for other city vehicles, Larson said.

“We felt like we limited our loss substantially,” Larson said.

Crews are expected to remain at the scene of the fire for days, Larson said. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

No one was injured in the fire.