Midvale apartment fire displaces 35 residents

MIDVALE — About 35 people were displaced Saturday following a two-alarm fire at the Brighton Place apartments, 145 W. Plumtree Lane.

Midvale Battalion Chief Warren James said the fire started about 8 a.m. somewhere on the second or third levels of the building, damaging 14 units and eventually burning through the roof on the south side of the complex. Three units were totally destroyed, and the remaining 11 will need to be cleared and refurbished, James said.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.

Residents were evacuating the building as fire crews arrived, allowing firefighters to immediately get to work putting out the fire. It took crews about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

"They had some pretty heads-up people in the building — people that worried about their neighbors and not just themselves," James said.

James estimated the damage to the apartment complex at $200,000 — possibly more depending on the extent of damage inside the building.

On Sunday, James said the investigation into the incident was ongoing and would probably not be completed until sometime Monday.

James also reported that the company that manages the burned building, Wasatch Properties, found temporary housing for all the displaced residents in other properties they operate. The American Red Cross is also helping by providing necessities for the victims.