Fire Alarm Mix-Up, Tabernacle Destroyed by Fire

An off-duty Provo (Utah) police officer working overnight security at the Provo Tabernacle mistook an audible alarm for a burglar alarm, creating a 90-minute delay in reporting a fire that destroyed the structure last December. Fire officials now say they’ve ruled out arson and believe the fire started in the attic, where the first fire alarm originated. The officer was providing private security for television production gear at the building for a holiday videotaping, and heard an alarm sounding at 1:10 a.m. He apparently believed that alarm was from a burglar alarm system. He radioed a Provo city dispatcher that the alarm panel showed the activation from the attic. But the officer added that he saw nothing inside, and couldn’t get to the attic to check the space. A Provo dispatcher contacted a TV producer, who contacted the building coordinator, who told the producer the alarm frequently sounded false alarms and should be turned off. The producer called the dispatcher back with the information, and the dispatcher relayed that to the officer. At 1:34 a.m. the officer reported finding the alarm instruction manual, and that he had silenced the alarm system. Provo fire chief Blair Camp said, “During this sequence of events, none of the participants realized or questioned the possibility that this might be a fire alarm and not a security alarm.” Up to this point, no one had ever contacted the fire department, Camp added. At 2:40 a.m. a security guard from a nearby business reported seeing smoke or steam coming from the roof, the officer investigated and found the roof on fire. Fire crews arrived at 2:44 a.m., about one hour and 34 minutes after the first alarm. The building was completely consumed by fire, leaving only the stone walls. Read more about the incident here, along with a CAD print-out and radio traffic.