Arson dismissed as cause in Utah fur co-op fire

By Bob Mims
The Salt Lake Tribune
Dec 20 2011

Fire investigators have dismissed arson and suspect an accidental cause for a two-alarm blaze that heavily damaged the Fur Breeders Agricultural Cooperative complex in Sandy on Monday.

The same business, though a different building, had been targeted in a 1997 pipe bombing blamed on the Animal Liberation Front.

"We have pretty much ruled this as accidental at this time," Sandy Fire Deputy Chief Bruce Cline said Tuesday. "We have confirmed there was a gentleman in the roofing area with [a blow torch] thawing a refrigeration line and something at that point apparently caught fire. That's our preliminary finding right now."

Cline stressed, however, that the fire marshal's office — which revisited the fire scene at 700 West and 8500 South on Tuesday — had not submitted a final determination. The scene was still smoldering in spots at mid-day Tuesday.

"Our crews worked overnight on hot spots. There have been some small fires underneath the rubble. We'll remain on the scene most of the day to keep an eye on those," Cline said.

No firm dollar estimate was available since investigators and insurance representatives had not yet been able to safely enter the ruins, but the animal feed business sustained extensive flame, smoke and water damage. Firefighters initially were stymied in efforts to directly attack the flames because of the location of an attic between two rooftops where an addition had been built, Cline said.

The fire was reported about 10:30 a.m. Monday in an attic around a refrigeration unit. Power lines over the rooftop were cut, triggering limited and short-lived electrical outages for about 1,200 customers in the area. Firefighters and police also evacuated neighboring buildings as concerns rose over on-scene sulfur and ammonia tanks being compromised.

However, by 1:30 p.m. the tanks had been secured and the flames were no longer a threat to them. By 2 p.m., the fire was under control.

Cline said Tuesday that the cooperative, on advice of public safety officials, was moving the chemicals off-site as a precaution against future hazards.

Fur Breeders Agricultural Cooperative is a processing plant that makes feed for animals, including mink. There are no animals on site.

Besides Sandy firefighters, units from the Unified Fire Authority, West Jordan and South Jordan also responded, along with the 85th Civil support team of the Utah National Guard.

remims@sltrib.com