It was Feb. 7 at about 6:30 p.m. when neighbors reported smoke at 5425 S. Vine Street, in an empty building just east of the Murray City Cemetery. By the time Murray Fire arrived, which was only three minutes after the initial call, flames were through the roof.

The building most recently housed Dead City Haunted House, which ceased operations after the 2022 Halloween season. The prior occupant was the Wagonmaster Steakhouse. 

The full cause of the fire may ultimately be classified as undetermined, but investigators are looking into electrical issues, as the power was active at the time of the fire. 

“It also looks like there may have been accelerants in the building that played into the spread and speed of the fire,” Fire Chief Joey Mittelman said. “Though they were not necessarily intentionally used.” Indicating items such as paint or solvents may have been left behind when the prior occupant moved out.

“At this point, it doesn’t look like anyone broke into the structure that night, as the doors were locked upon arrival and the building was empty,” Mittelman continued. “However, the sprinklers weren’t functioning and between the floorplan of the structure and the contents inside, the fire spread quickly.” 

The Wagonmaster fire, as it’s being called, was a two-alarm fire and about 55 firefighters responded. The initial alarm sent two ladder trucks, four engines and two battalion chiefs. The second alarm added an additional ladder truck and three engines. Murray Fire received assistance from Unified Fire, Sandy Fire and South Salt Lake Fire. Murray Power and Murray Public Works turned off power and blocked roads. 

After determining the building was unoccupied, firefighters were able to employee a defensive strategy, meaning they didn’t have to send crews into the flames. 

Using a three-point surround, they utilized the ladder trucks to get an aerial approach and scrubbed the rooftop with high penetration flow and nozzles. The initial response used 460,000 gallons of water. “We don’t always shoot right at the flame like you’d expect,” Mittelman said. “They ricochet the stream off walls and the ceiling to get to the seed of the fire.” 

The fire was under control by about 10 p.m. but not fully suppressed until late the next afternoon.

The investigation used drone technology to determine how the fire started, analyzing fire and smoke progression during the blaze itself, then afterward the drone was used to map interior burn patterns.  

Provo Police provided a specialized drone with hover capabilities for fighting and analyzing this fire. Murray does have a drone and trained operators, but the Murray drone is 10 years old. The cost for a new drone with advanced capabilities, which was helpful in this instance, is about $17,000, which the department plans to pursue with a grant.

The full investigation should be complete in March, then cleanup can begin. It will likely take about two months to have the property cleared, though Mittelman says that spring is a busy construction season for big equipment, which may cause delays. 

Currently, the approximately 3.5-acre property is privately held and is zoned as commercial.

“We have had several developers interested in developing the property to multifamily. This would require a general plan and zone change, and thus far we have not received any formal applications,” Susan Nixon, Murray City senior planner said. “The property owner would have to submit an owner’s affidavit as part of the application for any change, and interested parties can check our agendas posted for the Planning Commission on our website.” λ