Santa helps with evacuation during fire at Living Planet Aquarium

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fore was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA firefighters on the roof investigate a two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA firefighters scale a ladder on their way to the roof to investigate a two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune
UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

1 of 6

Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fore was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA firefighters on the roof investigate a two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA firefighters scale a ladder on their way to the roof to investigate a two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium. Scott Sommerdorf | The Salt Lake Tribune UFA fire investigator Don Buckley - in the Santa suit - works with other investigators to try to pinpoint the source of the two-alarm fire at the Loveland Living Aquarium in Draper, Sunday, December 13, 2015. Buckley happened to be at the aquarium with his with Judy (Mrs. Claus), meeting with children when the fire started. The fire was limited to the rooftop, and no animals were affected in the aquarium.

By Michael McFall The Salt Lake Tribune

· December 13, 2015 7:51 pm

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Firefighters battled a two-alarm blaze Sunday afternoon at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium — and received some help from ol' St. Nick.

The fire was first reported about 12:45 p.m. at the aquarium, located at 12033 Lone Peak Parkway in Draper. When firefighters arrived, they found the flames on the roof, said Unified Fire Authority spokesman Chris Atkin.

One of UFA's fire inspectors happened to be at the aquarium for a Christmas party, playing Santa Claus. When the fire broke out, "Santa" helped evacuate the building, Atkin said.

Using ladder trucks, firefighters extinguished the fire within an hour without interrupting power to the building, including the animals' habitats, Atkin said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

After the fire was out, the aquarium announced that all of its animals were safe and that it would remain closed the rest of the day.

mmcfall@sltrib.com

Twitter: @MikeyPanda