SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4)- The Salt Lake City Fire Department is at the scene of a three-alarm fire at 155 West 200 South in the downtown area. Crews are still battling the fire at this time. 200 South is closed to road traffic.
Salt Lake City Fire Department Captain Anthony Burton said the fire started just after 4:30 p.m at the “Lake Effect” bar. The fire started at a cooking area in the back part of the building.
When fire crews arrived, they encountered heavy smoke and visible flames in the back area of the building. The fire did not spread beyond the rear area of the building. Crews are cutting into void spaces to know where exactly the fire is in the building. Burton said they were containing the fire to the area where it was concentrated while protecting the surrounding buildings.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
Once the fire level was escalated to three-alarm, extra fire personnel were sent to the scene to make sure none of the adjacent buildings were affected by the fire.
“We’ve got a lot invested in this community, so we want to make sure that the adjacent structures are protected,” said Burton. Everyone was evacuated from the building and there were no reports of anyone being trapped.
Burton also said that it does not look like any other structures were affected by the fire. However, fire crews are going through the buildings again to make sure no one is still in the buildings.
It is not known how many people were in the building at the time of the fire. Evacuations took place in the back of the building. However, it is unknown if any of the surrounding businesses were evacuated despite the fire being contained in the rear of the building.
The public is asked to avoid the area as firefighters continue to battle the flames.
