The cause of a fire on the point of the mountain is still unknown, more than a week after the construction site caught fire, the Lehi fire chief announced Monday.
The massive fire erupted on Nov. 9 at what was intended to be Alta Vista, a 304-unit multifamily development located at 5222 N. Mountain Point Blvd. Thick black smoke and large flames were visible as crews used up to 50,000 gallons of water per minute to battle the blaze.
More than 100 firefighters from departments throughout the area were working at the fire. According to Lehi fire, wind helped the fire jump from building to building, he said. Two cranes sustained serious heat damage, which halted the investigation for a bit until they could be removed.
Fire Chief Jeremy Craft said in a press conference on Monday that the fire was too big for just the Lehi Fire Department to investigate, so they partnered with the State Fire Marshals and federal investigators.
“At this time, it’s an undetermined fire,” Craft said. Investigators have pinpointed the origin location of the fire, but it is still unclear what caused the blaze.
Craft said he was grateful the fire wasn’t in a highly populated area so firefighters could more easily fight the flames. It was a large and hot fire that made it difficult to put out, despite the firefighters spraying it with tons of water.
More than 30 firefighters and investigators were working every day last week to sift through the ashes. Craft said there were some “spider boxes” located near the origin, which are electrical boxes commonly used on construction sites. Those boxes will be investigated to determine if one of them malfunctioned or sparked.
Investigators have completed work at the site, but will continue to sift through video footage and photos of the blaze while the investigation is finalized. Craft said arson has not been fully ruled out, but also, no evidence so far indicates it was arson.
Investigators are following up on leads, but encourage the public to submit any footage or information they have from the fire.
“Our work will continue, but at this time, we just really don’t know what caused it,” Craft said.