Media Advisory: Indianapolis Fire Department From: Rita Burris (PIO-B) 716-6272 Date: Saturday June 15, 2013 Working Commercial Building Fire 220 S. Belmont Avenue Dispatched at 12:59 p.m Second Alarm called at 1:07 pm Third Alarm called at 1:28 pm Two Story Ordinary Construction Heavy Fire and Black Smoke Showing with partial collapse upon arrival Command ordered Defensive Attack from outset 8 Master Steam Operations in place Thousands of feet of 5” Supply Lines utilized 95 Units Dispatched to the scene/Approximately 200 Fire/ Police/EMS personnel Incident under control at 9:00 pm (8 hours) 4 firefighters injured - all slight injuries Chief of Operations Kenny Bacon: Incident Commander No damage estimate at this time IFD/IMPD Fire Investigations: Fire is under investigation Owner: Keith Sharp (Alabama) Escalade Avenue LLC 440,000 square feet building houses 85,000 square feet of recycled tires, 65,000 square feet of wood pallets, shingles, siding and Heavy Equipment The building is leased by several companies: Shelter Distribution, Mercury Trucking, Zen Trucking, Nationwide OTR and two general contracting companies. Building maintenance manager Casey Dobson (43) on scene/Has been maintenance supervisor for 10 years Thick, Acrid Black Smoke could be seen for miles this afternoon after a building caught fire on the outskirts of downtown Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Fire Department along with 7 other area fire departments put the term “mutual aid” to the test as they valiantly fought the large blaze for over 8 hours before bringing it under control. Firefighters from IFD, Wayne Township, Pike Township, Speedway Fire, Decatur Township, White River Township, Airport Fire and City of Lawrence persevered despite obstacles that forced them to adjust their strategy several times throughout the firefight. Interior structural collapse, exploding propane tanks, difficult private hydrant access, high winds, CSX Train tracks and spot fires caused by flying embers, put fire crews to the test. The former Link Belt factory building sits in a complex type area with a few private hydrants, however firefighters do not rely on the private hydrants to provide substantial water and pressure. Engine crews were faced with utilizing long supply line layouts to reach the city hydrants located around the area. This included laying lines across CSX Train Tracks. Although CSX cooperative from the outset, halted incoming trains, one train that did not have time to stop ran over a 5” in supply line, splitting it in half causing firefighters to regroup and lay more lines. The tracks continued to be shut down for the next 7 hours. An interior collapse and approximately 30 exploding propane tanks (30 gal each) kept firefighters at a safe distance while mitigating the situation. Periodic loud booms could be heard throughout. One area of concern was a 500 gallon propane tank inside the building. Quick action by firefighters placed a master stream on the tank keeping it cooled. Maintenance personnel stated that only a ¼ of the tank was full (about 125 gallons) and was believed to have vented itself during the fire. Approximately 60% of the building, destroyed by heavy fire collapsed. Large flying embers and brands became a problem when nearby buildings and dumpsters began catching on fire due to the strong winds. Several on scene units were allocated to a building across Belmont called Belmont Warehousing, to extinguish a roof fire. That second fire took about an hour to put out and the building monitored for additional embers the rest of the night. The dumpster fire was attended to in quick order. Reports of embers showing up downtown were called into 911 dispatch but no other fires were reported. IMPD Officers and command staff were an integral part of the success of this fire operation from the start. Immediately securing a perimeter, IMPD Command Staff, District and Patrol Officers, ERG units and Reserve officers coordinated an evacuation of the 5 block area east of the burning building due to the toxic smoke. Over 100 homes were evacuated by IMPD and residents taken by IndyGo busses to the Red Cross Building 441 E 10th street for shelter. IEMS Medics checked out several residents complaining of difficulty breathing but none were transported. The Marion County Health Department, Environment Protection Agency, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), a division of the Center for Disease Control, are monitoring the air quality and will decide when the evacuated homeowners can return. Mayor Greg Ballard came to the scene early in the incident and offered his support to the firefighters and police officers. Department of Homeland Security assisted with concerns expressed by downtown area businesses making sure resources and information were made available. At the request of IFD, Citizens Water boosted pressure twice to the area city hydrants to assist with firefighting efforts. Indianapolis International Airport was also notified due to the large amount of smoke in the air but did not need to divert air traffic. The City of Carmel Fire Department sent apparatus to cover IFD stations and take runs in the downtown area. Indy Parks stepped up to offer two community parks for shelter if needed. The Department of Code Enforcement was on scene and will return once the fire is completely out. It is expected to smolder for several days. Investigators hope to begin their investigation on Monday. The Indianapolis Fire Department would like to thank the community for their kind words and donations. Today’s incident is a great example of how government, not for profits and the private sector come together during an emergency. 20 young members of The Christian Brethren of Indianapolis brought in Subway and Jimmy John’s sandwiches and stayed on scene to assist with Rehab efforts. Marsh and Kroger Grocery stores supplied water and Gatorade. 4 of the IFD Rehab Support Units were on scene and provided much relief and food to the weary firefighters, police officers, Media and other on-scene response partners. Citizens have asked to donate supplies for future incidents. We are asking that any further donations of water and Gatorade be taken to IFD Station 5. It is located at 450 West 21st Street. Rita L. Burris Captain - Public Information Officer Indianapolis Fire Department Department of Public Safety 555 N New Jersey St Indianapolis, IN 46204 Phone - 317-327-6086 Cell - 317-716-6272 [email protected] Police-Fire-Homeland Security-Animal Care and Control - EMS – PSC Follow IFD on Twitter - Facebook - IndyGov - IFD - IFD Contact Us
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 13:47:37 +0000
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