This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A two-alarm fire broke out Monday at a West Jordan garbage-processing plant.
About 20 people were working in the building when the fire broke out about 6:30 p.m. at Waste Management, Inc., 8750 S. 4000 West, said West Jordan fire battallion chief Steve Holmes. When firefighters arrived, part of the building was fully engulfed, he said. The workers had evacuated the building without injury.
The fire grew quickly because it broke out in a building where paper and plastic waste were being separated, Holmes said. Crews got control of the fire in about 20 minutes but were putting out hot spots in the garbage at least an hour later, Holmes said.
The fire left behind large amounts of burned garbage, which investigators will have to sift through to identify the source and cause of the fire, Holmes said. Investigators could not confirm early reports that the fire began on a conveyer belt.
Crews on Tuesday will try to estimate the value of the damage.