Fire broke out in a water cooling chamber at the south end of the Kennecott Copper Mine late Friday afternoon.
Engines from the Salt Lake County and West Valley City fire departments responded to the fire in the 80-foot-by-300-foot structure, which is also 80 feet high, Salt Lake County Fire Capt. Bill Brass said.The chamber is constructed of redwood boards covered with corrugated fiberglass panels and contains four large cooling fans, steam turbines and water condensation pools, Brass said.
It is adjacent to a 7,000 gallon tank of nearly pure sulphuric acid, but firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading in that direction, he said.
Kennecott workers discovered the fire and applied some water to it on their own before firefighters arrived. Hazardous materials specialists were also on hand as a safety precaution, Brass said.
No one was injured in the blaze and the cause was still undetermined late Friday, Brass said.