3 firefighters hurt as fire burns century-old buildings in Salt Lake
City's nightlife hub
[August 13, 2025]
By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM and SARAH BRUMFIELD
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A blaze that started in a restaurant kitchen
injured three firefighters and scorched century-old buildings in Salt
Lake City’s nightlife hub, officials said Tuesday.
Firefighters were dispatched to a cooking fire at the London Belle
Supper Club on Monday night and found smoke and flames in the kitchen
area, Salt Lake City Fire Chief Karl Lieb said at a news conference. The
intense heat created a challenging environment, and because it was
unsafe to keep firefighters inside or on the roof, where they normally
start their attack, he said they fought the fire with aerial devices.
“The firefighters did a tremendous job fighting this fire, particularly
given the speed at which it spread, the fuel that was available to it
and the intensity,” Lieb said.
One of the injured firefighters had a broken ankle; another was
suffering from smoke inhalation, dehydration and nausea; and the third
was injured by falling debris and was trapped briefly against a chain
link fence, Lieb said. All were doing OK Tuesday morning. There were
about 78 firefighters on the scene, he said.
Officials estimate about $5 million in losses through the five affected
buildings, Lieb said. The investigation of the fire could take weeks.
Jason Andersen, the chef de cuisine at Whiskey Street Cocktails &
Dining, had just left for the night when his sous-chef called in a
panic, saying the block was ablaze and everyone was evacuating. Andersen
rushed back. He couldn’t get close, but the sous-chef described to him
in real time how the fire quickly became an inferno, blasting through
windows and shooting smoke and debris into the air.
Andersen, who has worked at the bar and restaurant for seven years,
stood teary-eyed at a police barricade Tuesday morning as the smell of
smoke lingered in the air. All that remained inside his workplace was a
pile of charred planks. Now navigating sudden unemployment, Andersen
joked with others to cut through the pain: “I left my knives in there!”
“I’m stressed, but mostly in shock right now,” Andersen said. “It was
like home, a family. We were always there for each other, and now our
home has burned to the ground.”
Mayor Erin Mendenhall described the fire as “a tragic loss” for the
city, calling the establishments that burned “iconic businesses in our
downtown core” that she hopes will return to the block.
“Los Tapatios, London Belle, White Horse and Whiskey Street are at the
heart of what Salt Lake City’s downtown vibe is,” Mendenhall said. “And
I think there’s a lot of tears being shared among Salt Lakers that see
the devastating damage here.”
A neighboring restaurant, Eva, reported some smoke and water damage but
nothing major.
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A firefighter surveys the damage of a blaze in downtown Salt Lake
City that injured three firefighters and burned several bars and
restaurants, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)
The city will work with the businesses to provide no-interest loans
to help cover some of the costs once they get their insurance
assessments back, Mendenhall said.
The fire destroyed buildings that date back to 1920 and are “home to
beloved local businesses and gathering places that bring life,
culture, and connection to our community,” the Downtown Alliance
said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the effects will “ripple
far beyond the walls of the impacted property.” The alliance, which
represents 2,500 businesses and building owners, said the affected
property owners have said they intend to rebuild.
“This commitment gives us hope as we look toward restoring the
vitality of this block,” the alliance said.
The alliance thanked first responders who contained the fire,
protected nearby buildings and made sure all customers and employees
evacuated safely.
Before it was reduced to rubble, the block of adjoining bars with
full kitchens was a vibrant after-hours hangout in the capital
city's small downtown area. Some locals jokingly referred to the
strip as “Sinners' Row," a commentary on the anti-alcohol culture in
a state where more than half the population belongs to The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known widely as the Mormon
Church.
The London Belle Supper Club had leaned into its scandalous history.
The bar and restaurant’s website says it was once the domain of an
infamous madam of the early 1900s who orchestrated a city-sanctioned
block of prostitution. In modern times, the candlelit cocktail
lounge described itself as a “seductive sanctuary, where history and
hedonism intertwine.”
A light rail line that runs along the block is open, but the mayor
encouraged people to avoid the area unless they need to be there.
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Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland.
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