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Fire at Orem Temple reported by freeway drivers, neighbors
Jul 26, 2022, 11:45 AM | Updated: Aug 2, 2022, 10:27 am
FILE: Construction on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Orem Utah Temple on Thursday, March 10, 2022. (Mengshin Lin, Deseret News)
(Mengshin Lin, Deseret News)
OREM, Utah — Fire crews responded to a fire at the Orem Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints late Monday night.
Battalion Chief Shaun Hirst, of Orem Fire, said that people in nearby apartments and drivers passing the site on I-15 called to report a fire on the top floor of the Temple which is still under construction.
Hirst said that when Orem firefighters arrived they found light smoke and “minimal active fire” in a utility room on the third floor.
As of yet, there is no damage estimate. That will be left to church officials.
An investigation is underway by multiple agencies including the Utah Fire Marshall, Hirst said. There is no known cause of the fire as of late Tuesday morning.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has also contacted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).
“With the nature of the property,” Hirst said, “… we’re making sure we’re doing anything to rule [suspicious activity] out.”
Completion of the Orem Temple is expected by the fall of 2023. When completed it will be the first temple in Orem and the sixth in Utah County.
This story will be updated.
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