November 2025 | Vol. 35 Iss. 11
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Murray
Balloon Festival
Hot air balloons dotted the sky in late September Page 6
Murray Theater reopens
Loren Allred headlined the two-night celebration Page 8
Border fire tests Murray’s readiness for urban wildfires By Shaun Delliskave | s.delliskave@mycityjournals.com
Murray crews first on scene as Millcreek blaze burns apartments.
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hen flames swept through the Willow Glen Apartments in Millcreek in July, the fire exposed how quickly a small spark can become a destructive blaze. Fueled by dry grass and wind, the fire destroyed two apartment buildings, displaced nearly 80 residents, and forced a region-wide emergency response. Salt Lake City investigators later determined the fire began when a mower blade struck a rock on city-owned land, igniting grass that exceeded local weed-control codes. Maintenance crews initially tried to fight the blaze with handheld extinguishers before calling 911, a delay that allowed the fire to spread to nearby structures. The fire erupted just over Murray’s border, and Murray’s fire crews were among the first to respond. Murray City Fire Chief Joseph Mittelman said the incident underscored the importance of cooperation across city lines. “The recent Millcreek fire at the Willow Glen Apartments quickly advanced before dispatch and arrival of the response units, and the combined efforts on both the apartment fire and the adjacent wildland fire were crucial to successful suppression,” Mittelman said. According to Mittelman, Murray is well-positioned to respond to similar fast-moving incidents. The city staffs three fire stations daily, with at least 15 firefighter-paramedics on duty. Each station houses a structural fire apparatus, an ambulance and a wildland brush truck. Crews respond with the most appropriate equipment, and contingency plans cover stations when units are dispatched elsewhere. “We follow established response models supported by ongoing training and certifications
A fire spread from a small patch of wildland that displaced 80 residents in Millcreek in July. (Shaun Delliskave/City Journals) across both Murray Fire and our neighboring agencies,” Mittelman explained. “A shared dispatch center ensures that the most appropriate resources are deployed quickly for each emergency.” Monthly training with surrounding departments as part of the Salt Lake Valley Fire Alliance, he said, ensures coordination and integration of best practices.
While Murray’s wildland fire risk is lower than in foothill communities, Mittelman pointed to specific vulnerabilities. “Given our geography—particularly the Jordan River Parkway, the power line corridor, and highway corridors—the greatest risks we face typically fall into three categories,” he said. Those risks include vehicle hazards such as sparks from dragging
chains or mechanical failures, open flames from unapproved backyard fires or illegal campfires, and fireworks use near dry vegetation. These concerns have precedent. A brush fire was reported near the interchange of Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 Continued page 4