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- A fire at Salt Lake County Jail led to 200 inmates' evacuation on Thursday.
- The blaze, caused by HVAC maintenance, was contained to the roof.
- No injuries reported; operations resumed after fire extinguished and smoke cleared.
SOUTH SALT LAKE — Approximately 200 inmates were evacuated from their unit Thursday after a fire broke out in the air conditioning system at the Salt Lake County Jail.
A subcontractor was doing maintenance work on the HVAC system on the roof of the jail, accidentally sparking the blaze about 10:30 a.m., Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera said. Jail administrators were notified, and several fire departments responded to fight the blaze at 3415 S. 900 West.
The fire was contained to the roof and didn't breach the structure of the jail, according to South Salt Lake Fire Chief Terry Addison. Flames got between a membrane structure and ignited insulation, he said; firefighters had to remove the insulation to prevent further spread.
Addison said the fire was fully extinguished by 1 p.m., and no injuries were reported. Firefighters ventilated the structure to remove smoke and hazardous vapors before allowing employees and occupants back in, the chief said.
There is no estimated cost for damages, but Rivera said the impact is much more minimal than initially expected.
Approximately 200 inmates were transferred from their jail unit to a different unit, where they will stay for the foreseeable future, Rivera said. Three prison units are back up and running, but the one closest to the fire's location was still down Thursday afternoon. Rivera said the closure is not expected to affect any 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."
The fire affected jail operations for about two hours, as bookings were halted. Rivera said police stations were notified of the delay in bringing any new inmates, but booking has since reopened and the jail is operating normally.
"This was a big deal today, but the way it was handled, I'm very impressed," Rivera said.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said within minutes of learning about the fire, she was reassured it was being handled well and that no harm had occurred to the inmates.
"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."
