Main Street Fire fund closes after providing almost $500,000 to displaced employees

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — On August 11, 2025, a fire broke out on Main Street in Salt Lake City. Downtown Alliance's employee assistance fund was created to help displaced employees and has raised almost $500,000.

Almost a month after a fire broke out and destroyed five businesses in Salt Lake City, displacing 160 employees, the employee assistance fund has closed. In total, the fund distributed $494,000 to employees to help with their essentials.

“Salt Lakers show up for each other, and this response has been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Dee Brewer, executive director of the Downtown Alliance. “From five-dollar QR code donations at the Farmers Market to major philanthropic gifts, this campaign provided workers who woke up unemployed August 12, a bridge to their next opportunity.”