HERRIMAN, Utah — A powerful explosion rocked a local strip mall Saturday night, leaving witnesses in shock as they recounted their experiences of the incident and its aftermath. The blast, which followed a crash and fire, rattled the nearby community, prompting immediate emergency responses.
“We felt it,” said Trayce Young, who was in a nearby Taco Bell drive-thru during the chaos. “It was intense—I thought for sure there was going to be an explosion because of the gas line nearby. I could hear this loud ‘whooshing’ sound that was pretty unsettling.”
The collision occurred at the intersection of 5200 West and 13400 South, leading to an alarming series of events that heightened tensions in the area. Witness Austin Spencer, an employee at Jimmy John’s, described a hissing sound that caught his attention. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he urged his colleagues to evacuate and quickly informed those at a nearby Domino’s.
“Everyone thought it was just a spill or something minor,” said Spencer. “I had to shout for them to get out. I turned the corner and saw flames shooting up.”
Sam Horn, another bystander, witnessed the growing blaze as firefighters and bystanders assisted the driver of the SUV that collided with the building. “The car was engulfed in flames, and the entire structure was alight,” Horn recounted, noting the chaos that ensued when the building exploded moments later.
Spencer described the moment of the explosion itself, saying, “I saw debris fly everywhere and felt the blast. I just ran. It was surreal.” Young, still reeling from the incident, echoed that sentiment, saying, “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing—a giant cloud of smoke rose into the sky like a mushroom.”
Authorities have initiated an investigation into the explosion, with the Riverton Police Department confirming that three individuals were transported to local hospitals for injuries sustained during the incident. Fortunately, it appears that all employees evacuated the area before the explosion occurred.
In a statement released Sunday, officials in Herriman noted that they are assessing the long-term status of the strip mall. Meanwhile, the police are scrutinizing the causes behind the crash and subsequent explosion to determine any underlying factors that contributed to the catastrophic event.
Spencer and Horn continue to grapple with the shocking experience, expressing disbelief over how swiftly everything changed. “It feels like a fever dream,” Spencer said. Horn added, “A place I visited just a couple of weeks ago is now gone—it’s incredible how quickly things can change.”