On Thursday, a fire in the air conditioning system prompted the evacuation of around 200 inmates from their unit at the Salt Lake County Jail.
A subcontractor performing maintenance on the jail’s HVAC system inadvertently ignited a fire around 10:30 a.m., according to Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera. Authorities were alerted, and multiple fire crews rushed to tackle the flames at 3415 S. 900 West.
Fire Chief Terry Addison reported that the blaze was confined to the roof and did not penetrate the jail’s structure. Fire broke out between a membrane structure and insulation, prompting firefighters to remove the insulation to halt the blaze’s advance.
Addison reported that the blaze was completely put out by 1 p.m., with no injuries noted. Firefighters worked diligently to ventilate the building, effectively clearing out smoke and dangerous vapours, ensuring it was safe for employees and occupants to return, according to the chief.
While there is currently no estimated cost for damages, Rivera noted that the impact is significantly less severe than what was initially anticipated.
About 200 inmates have been moved from their current jail unit to another facility, where they are expected to remain for the time being, according to Rivera. Three prison units have resumed operations, while the facility nearest to the fire remained non-operational as of Thursday afternoon. Rivera stated that the shutdown is anticipated to have no impact on prison operations.
“The operation of moving inmates went very well, and our employees are incredible,” the sheriff said. “Everybody kicked in and did what they needed to do to ensure the prisoners were safe and felt safe.”
Jail operations were disrupted for approximately two hours due to the fire, leading to a temporary halt in bookings. Rivera confirmed that law enforcement agencies were informed about the postponement in admitting new inmates; however, booking has now resumed, and the jail is functioning as usual.
“This was a big deal today, but the way it was handled, I’m very impressed,” Rivera said.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson expressed her immediate relief upon hearing about the fire, noting that it was being managed effectively and that the inmates were unharmed.
“The amount of investment we make at Salt Lake County with our partners, our cities and other entities, to train and prepare is what led to this incredible outcome today. It could’ve been much worse,” the mayor said. “This was managed incredibly quickly with no major injuries and very little impact to the operations.”
