Downtown SLC
Cottonwood Heights
WOODS CROSS, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A chilling recording of the initial 911 call into the Bountiful Police department revealed a state of panic surrounding the Silver Eagle Refinery Monday night.
Moments after the explosion, dispatch received a call for help.
Dispatch: "911.Where's your emergency?"
Caller: "I got afire at Silver Eagle Refinery.”
Dispatch: “Hold on justa second slow down. What's the address?"
The caller was witnessing a petroleum tank on fire. The tank contained thousands of gallons of gasoline.
Dispatch: "Tell me what a petroleum tank is?"
Caller: "It's agasoline tank."
Dispatch: "A gasoline tank on what? Is it by itself?" Caller: "A tank farm."
Not knowing the danger involved, the dispatcher asked for vital information. She soon discovered the refinery bordered a neighborhood in Woods Cross.
Dispatch: "Okay, is it by any structures?"
Caller: "Yes. They got roads close. They got oil tanks all the way around."
Dispatch: "Okay,all right. Get everybody away."
Records show fire crews were on the scene within five minutes of getting the call.
And shortly thereafter an evacuation order went out. Police officers patrolled the streets making sure families in the evacuation zone learned of the danger. Woods Cross also sent out public works employees on foot. They went door to door and in some instances were seen helping the elderly get out.
Janet Allen who was evacuated had nothing but praise for police and fire.
“I thought Woods Cross was extremely organized in what they did,” she said. “A policeman came up this street announcing to please leave your homes now. And we did.”
Fire authorities even made reverse 9-1-1 callsto numbers they had on record. But not everyone got the message.
“We never had contact with anybody,” said Jen Neumann who learned of the evacuation from neighbors. “And i think that it maybe would have felt a little bit more necessary and pressing if we would have heard from somebody official.”
Fire authorities saidthey made 560 reverse 9-1-1 calls to numbers in the evacuated zone. These are automated calls made to an areawarning them of the emergency.
“Of those, 105 did not answer,” said Jeff Bassett with South Davis Metro Fire Agency.
Moments after the explosion, dispatch received a call for help.
Dispatch: "911.Where's your emergency?"
Caller: "I got afire at Silver Eagle Refinery.”
Dispatch: “Hold on justa second slow down. What's the address?"
The caller was witnessing a petroleum tank on fire. The tank contained thousands of gallons of gasoline.
Dispatch: "Tell me what a petroleum tank is?"
Caller: "It's agasoline tank."
Dispatch: "A gasoline tank on what? Is it by itself?" Caller: "A tank farm."
Not knowing the danger involved, the dispatcher asked for vital information. She soon discovered the refinery bordered a neighborhood in Woods Cross.
Dispatch: "Okay, is it by any structures?"
Caller: "Yes. They got roads close. They got oil tanks all the way around."
Dispatch: "Okay,all right. Get everybody away."
Records show fire crews were on the scene within five minutes of getting the call.
And shortly thereafter an evacuation order went out. Police officers patrolled the streets making sure families in the evacuation zone learned of the danger. Woods Cross also sent out public works employees on foot. They went door to door and in some instances were seen helping the elderly get out.
Janet Allen who was evacuated had nothing but praise for police and fire.
“I thought Woods Cross was extremely organized in what they did,” she said. “A policeman came up this street announcing to please leave your homes now. And we did.”
Fire authorities even made reverse 9-1-1 callsto numbers they had on record. But not everyone got the message.
“We never had contact with anybody,” said Jen Neumann who learned of the evacuation from neighbors. “And i think that it maybe would have felt a little bit more necessary and pressing if we would have heard from somebody official.”
Fire authorities saidthey made 560 reverse 9-1-1 calls to numbers in the evacuated zone. These are automated calls made to an areawarning them of the emergency.
“Of those, 105 did not answer,” said Jeff Bassett with South Davis Metro Fire Agency.
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