Salt Lake City was warned it was violating code with weeds on land it owns in Millcreek two days before mowing there sparked apartments fire

Note to readers • This story has been updated with additional details about the notice of violation Millcreek sent to Salt Lake City.

Two days before a large fire left two Millcreek apartment buildings uninhabitable and displaced 40 residents, Salt Lake City was notified that it was violating city code with overgrown weeds in the field where the blaze began, a Millcreek official said.

Millcreek City Council member Thom DeSirant — whose District 2 includes the Willow Glen Apartments buildings destroyed in the Friday blaze — said a city resident had complained to him about the nearby tall weeds a week before the fire.

The field south of the apartments is owned by Salt Lake City, according to DeSirant and to Salt Lake County records. On Monday, DeSirant reported the issue of neglect on that property to Millcreek’s city code compliance office, he said, and Salt Lake City was then issued a citation.

Although DeSirant used the term “citation,” the document was labeled as a notice. The first step to enforce Millcreek city codes can be a notice or a citation, city manager Mike Winder said Monday. The notice, sent to Salt Lake City Wednesday, said “further legal action” could be taken if the violations were not fixed.

The fire was sparked Friday as a person was mowing the land, and that person reported the flames to police, said Capt. Tony Barker of the Unified Fire Authority, which led the response.

A spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall declined to comment on the citation. The spokesperson did not immediately respond for a request for comment on Salt Lake City policies for maintaining property it owns or any city guidelines for mowing in hot, windy weather.

The spokesperson had referred questions to Chloe Morroni, spokesperson for the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities. The Salt Lake Tribune called Morroni on Friday and on Saturday to ask questions about the fire, but Morroni said Monday she had not received either call.

In response to an email from The Tribune on Saturday, Morroni wrote that she could not comment on whether a city employee was using the lawn mower that ignited the fire because the investigation was ongoing. She did not immediately respond to a later email requesting comment on city maintenance policies.

In June, a message from Millcreek to residents warned that the maximum allowed height for weeds is 6 inches and said that city compliance staff were being kept busy with complaints.

Rita Lund, Millcreek’s communications director, said the city routinely issues notices to landowners to maintain overgrown properties, for both fire safety and appearance reasons.

“We will have a code officer visit and give them a little push to take care of their weeds,” Lund said. The city doesn’t cite all owners when complaints come in, she explained, but the property where the fire started is large, and the city’s code officer had noticed the weeds during an inspection.

Millcreek Mayor Jeff Silvestrini did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Salt Lake Tribune Saturday.

Besides their homes, apartment residents have described losing nearly everything they own. DeSirant said Monday’s Millcreek City Council agenda will include an emergency item to allocate funding to support affected residents.

[Read more: Large fire burns at least 24 apartments, displaces 40 in Holladay area]

Picking up the pieces

On Saturday, Kenyon Eastin was at the temporary evacuation center set up by the Red Cross, picking up supplies for his 4-year-old granddaughter.

Displaced residents gathered around tables filled with donations, food, water, and snacks at the center, located in a building owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 1250 E. 4800 South in Millcreek.

Eastin had kept a bin of toys at his apartment, but he said everything was destroyed — including a custom hope chest that had arrived just an hour before the blaze, after a four-month wait.

His granddaughter, Violet, never got to see the chest, he said.

“Every time she comes over, I make sure I have something for her,” Eastin said. “She loves the Play Doh, and she loves the puzzles, so I had a Tupperware thing full of all her stuff. So when she’d show up, we’d break it out and have fun, and then I’d give her something new.”

Still, Eastin said he is grateful that no one was injured in the fire, and while belongings were lost, they can be replaced.

“It’s a really odd feeling, but I’m grateful,” Eastin said. “It’s one of those things, I guess, that happens in life, and it kind of triggers that feeling of being grateful and humble for what you have. When you think things are going bad, they’re not really that bad. Oh, you lost everything? No, I didn’t. My boy and I are fine.”

Residents of the two other buildings in the complex that were not damaged by the fire, but were evacuated and temporarily had utilities turned off, would be able to return later Saturday, Barker said.

Crews were still extinguishing hot spots on Saturday, Barker said, and the area remained cordoned off as they worked. Thick smoke lingered in the air, carrying the strong smell of charred wood and debris.

Several pets remain missing, and Barker urged residents to submit photos of their lost animals to help the ongoing search efforts. “I don’t feel confident that we’re going to get a large number of those pets recovered,” Barker said.

Barker said both apartment buildings — each with 12 units, for a total of 24 — have been deemed uninhabitable and will need to be demolished.

He confirmed the fire was sparked by a lawn mower being used in the field directly to the south. “It hit a rock, sparked the fire and with the conditions and the high winds, that fire spread rather quickly and into the apartment complex,” Barker said.

“The thing that was frightening about it was how quickly it got up into the rafters and lit the roof on fire,” he continued. “It’s a miracle that none of those residents were injured or even hurt more significantly than than what we experienced yesterday.”

Barker said no residents were injured, but four firefighters sustained minor injuries, mostly caused by smoke inhalation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with Unified Fire, is continuing to investigate, he said.

How to help

Millcreek officials will be accepting donations for the displaced residents, DeSirant said, but they ask that people hold off on bringing items to City Hall for now.

“We’re still in the process of figuring out what families need,” DeSirant said. “The last thing we need is a massive wrap of unneeded items that’s going to clutter these people’s lives right now.”

For those interested in donating, DeSirant suggested emailing communications@millcreekut.gov. The city’s communications department will follow up later with a list of specific needs for the affected families, he said.

The city also is accepting monetary donations at http://bit.ly/millcreekfirehelp, according to a post on the city’s Facebook page.

“Our community is heartbroken after a devastating fire destroyed 24 apartment units in Millcreek,” the city posted there. “Families have lost their homes, belongings and a sense of normalcy — but they are not alone.

“We’ve already seen an incredible outpouring of support, and we are so grateful.”

Clarification • 7 p.m., July 28. 2025: This story has been updated to add detail about The Tribune’s attempts to seek comment from spokesperson Chloe Morroni last week.