Flames and a thick plume of black smoke rose near a downtown Salt Lake City apartment complex on Sunday evening, drawing multiple fire crews and an aerial ladder truck to the scene. The fire was reported at 7:40 p.m. on September 27, 2026, at an abandoned warehouse at 340 W. 700 South, near The Hendrey apartments at 326 W. 700 South, sending heavy smoke into the night sky over the city's Granary District.
Salt Lake City Fire Department crews responded to a blaze at an abandoned warehouse near the six-story, 348-unit complex, according to KUTV, which reported that photos from the scene showed flames and a large plume of black smoke near the building. Multiple fire crews responded, and an aerial ladder was extended at the scene as firefighters worked the blaze, the station reported. Fire Capt. Mathew Wilson said there were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries. The fire prompted a precautionary evacuation from The Hendrey, and there was no interior damage to the apartments. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A Newly Built Complex in a Fast-Growing Corridor
The Hendrey is a market-rate apartment complex developed by Minnesota-based Roers Companies and designed by JZW Architects as part of downtown Salt Lake City's ongoing multi-family housing boom, according to Building Salt Lake. The property sits on the edge of the Granary District, an industrial corridor roughly bounded by 600 South and 900 South near Interstate 15 that has steadily transitioned into dense residential development over the past decade, the outlet notes.
Citizen's dispatch listing records a June 2026 call to 340 W. 700 South to rescue someone trapped in an elevator, per data cited by Citizen.
A Neighborhood With a History of Major Blazes
This is not the first major fire near this stretch of the Granary District. In March 2023, an overnight structure fire destroyed a vacant commercial warehouse at 704 S. 400 West — about a block from The Hendrey — just before it was slated for demolition to make way for a 292-unit residential project, Building Salt Lake reported at the time. That blaze required heavy equipment and a multi-crew Salt Lake City Fire Department response, the outlet noted.
The department itself operates 14 stations staffed by more than 350 personnel covering 200,000 residents across 110 square miles, running a three-platoon, 48-hour rotation schedule, according to a National Testing Network job posting detailing the agency's structure.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Apartment Fires
Downtown Salt Lake City has seen a string of serious apartment fires in recent months. Hoodline previously reported that a late-night fire in June at a five-story apartment building near 475 East and 900 South hospitalized one resident in serious condition and required medical evaluations for three others, with that fire reportedly originating in a lower-level unit.
Fire safety has also drawn scrutiny after a deliberate act. In August, a 30-year-old Salt Lake City resident was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to attempted aggravated arson for pouring gasoline through the stairwells and lobbies of two downtown apartment complexes in December 2025, admitting he spread fuel across multiple floors to draw police attention, according to KSL News reporting.
The cause of Sunday evening's fire near The Hendrey was not immediately known. Capt. Mathew Wilson said there were no reported civilian or firefighter injuries, and there was no interior damage to the apartments.
