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Further information on blaze to be released later this week; DaVinci Elementary remains closed

By Rob Nielsen - | Jan 27, 2025

Rob Nielsen, Standard-Examiner

Smoke and flames are visible above downtown Ogden on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, after an apartment building that was being constructed near 22nd Street and Lincoln Avenue caught fire.

OGDEN — Crews are continuing to investigate a fire that razed an under-construction apartment complex in downtown Ogden on Saturday evening, but little additional information was available on Monday.

After reaching out to the Ogden City Fire Department on Monday, the Standard-Examiner was told that no further official information will be released until Thursday.

At a press conference Sunday, Ogden Fire Chief Mike Mathieu said the structure, planned for 97 units, was between three- to five-stories tall at points and was in the framing stages.

“The exterior of the building is designed with fire-resistant lumber on the exterior walls, not on the interior walls,” he said. “Where this fire started, we’re seeing from some early indications, is on the interior.”

He noted that the building was not in a phase where its permanent electrical system was in place, but that temporary electrical has been strung inside to power tools and other equipment. A generator that operated an on-site crane was ruled out as the cause.

Mathieu said the construction site also complied with fire code security provisions.

“Once a structure gets to four stories, we can require the construction site to be secured or fenced,” he said. “This site was secured. It was fenced with a 6-foot chain link fence, fabric all the way around it, and that’s been going on even before we got to four stories on this particular building. So, that’s something we’ve done to try to prevent unauthorized access or any nefarious activity from occurring.”

He added that detectives from the Ogden Police Department and investigators from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting the fire department with the investigation.

A cause is not known or being speculated on at this time.

Neighboring structures also received damage, including a vacant building to the southwest, while embers carried from the site set small fires as far away as Wall Avenue — two blocks away — which were quickly extinguished.

The construction site also happened to sit between the DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts’ elementary school and distance learning center.

The elementary school, located directly to the west, had minor damage, including to windows and playground equipment.

According to a post on the school’s Facebook page, cleanup has already begun.

“Thank you for your support and patience as we get the onsite elementary and Ogden Flex Elementary buildings ready for students to come back,” the post said. “We were extremely blessed to have only sustained minor damages. Currently, crews are working to replace exterior windows, patch some holes in the roof membrane, clean up the playground and replace some safety equipment, and then scrub and clean HVAC systems and the interior of the school.”

The post added that the elementary school would be closed through Friday to facilitate the cleanup and repairs to the building.

“We want to ensure that we do not overlook any details when it comes to student safety so we can be ready for students to return to school,” the post said. “If, by chance, things are done earlier, we will let you know. However, at this time, we are instructing our elementary teachers to plan for online learning lessons this week.”

The Facebook post also included several pictures showing windows facing the fire that had been shattered and a playground slide that was badly warped due to the intense heat.

Ogden Fire is requesting that anyone who may have witnessed or captured the fire’s initial stages call Weber Area Dispatch, 911 or contact the fire department directly at 801-629-8069 and ask for the fire marshal.

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