Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-12-07 | Page 11 | Jennings Block is Threatened by Fire

JENNINGS BLOCK IS THREATENED BY FIRE Loss to Building and Contents Is Estimated Esti-mated at S2000; Origin of Blaze Not Known. Fire which for a time threatened to destrov the Jennings block, -1 West First South street, and which endangered the handsome new building next door occupied oc-cupied by the Utah State National bank, was discovered at ;SM o'clock last night in the storerooms of the Capital Electric companv, which occupies the entire second sec-ond and third floors of the Jennings building, and, it is said, inflicted losses estimated at about S20U0 to the building and contents. , According to Chief By water of the fire' department, the exact origin of the blaze could not be determined, but it is thought that the probable cause was the spontaneous spon-taneous combustion of certain chemicals used in storage batteries. As nearly as could be ascertained, the fire started on the third floor, where the blaze was fiercest, and communicated itself to the second floor. According . to the firemen, the volume of smoke caused by the fire was the greatest that has accompanied anv conflagration in this city in many years, thick clouds of It rolling out of everv window and door for an hour, and attracting a crowd that numbered at one time close to 2000 people, which gave the police department considerable trouble trou-ble in controlling it. The blaze was confined entirely to the Capital Electric company's establishment, although two vacant storerooms on the first floor were slightly damaged by water. The loss is fully covered by insurance.