Fire hits a snack factory in Salt Lake City, producing smoke visible for miles

A fire at a Mexican snack factory sent smoke up into the Salt Lake City skies Tuesday morning.

Salt Lake City Fire Department reported on its X account Tuesday that crews responded to a three-alarm fire at 1518 S. Main. The building, the former site of the Golden Dragon restaurant, houses La Rana Mexican Snack Factory.

Capt. Brandt Hancuff said fire crews first arrived on the scene at around 7:20 a.m. The fire was under control by about 11 a.m., though Hancuff told The Salt Lake Tribune that the scene remained “an active firefight.”

Firefighters began by attacking the fire directly, but encountered heavy smoke and fire — so the crews backed off and took a defensive stance, to protect nearby buildings, Hancuff said in a media briefing.

All of the employees were evacuated, and no one was injured, Hancuff said.

Across the street from the fire, La Rana workers watched as the fire continued, causing the building’s roof to collapse as the fire smoldered.

Some areas of the fire were difficult to access, Hancuff said, so when the flames burned through the roof, it became easier for firefighters to get control of the blaze.

The building “appears to be a total loss,” Hancuff said. The cause is under investigation.

Salt Lake City police posted that they had closed off traffic between Cleveland and Bryan avenues.

Lissa Kerns, who lives in the neighborhood, said her husband reported the fire when he took their kids to school. Firefighters evacuated people living next door to the blazing business and sprayed their houses and lawns. Kerns said her power was turned off.

Hancuff confirmed that neighbors west of the factory were evacuated. Firefighters went door to door at the Main Street Motel, south of the factory, though Hancuff said he wasn’t sure if the motel is currently operating or if anyone was inside.

Kerns said the activity died down by 11:30 a.m., the flames were out by 2 p.m., and crews spent the afternoon going through the wreckage.

La Rana Snacks’ website advertises its “Duritos,” wheel-shaped wheat snacks.

Smoke from the fire was visible from Interstate 15 and downtown Salt Lake City, an alarming sight for morning commuters.

Developers have been working on plans to build an apartment complex on the land where the factory and the adjacent Main Street Motel are located, according to the Building Salt Lake website. Those plans are tangled up in a legal dispute with the property owner, the website reported earlier this month.

In April 2024, a judge issued a preliminary ruling that property owner David Pope and his company, Four Holdings Inc., breached a real estate purchase contract with developer Urban Alfandre and RRM Ventures by withdrawing a building permit application for the project ahead of a September 2023 Salt Lake City Planning Commission meeting.

Two weeks ago, on April 16, a summary judgment dismissed two of the developers’ other claims, adding that the developers cannot pursue damages related to the breach of contract, because the developers chose to compel the property owner to fulfill their part of the contract if the property owner was ever in breach — waiving the potential to pursue damages instead.

However, the ruling added that the developers may be entitled to damages in addition to compelling the property owner to fulfill their part of the deal, if the developers can prove post-trial that they are supported by Utah case law.

The development is part of the city’s development plan for the Ballpark Station Area, first proposed in 2022.

Tribune reporters Shannon Sollitt and Jordan Miller contributed to this report.