San Pierre Grain Elevator Fire Ruled Arson

 
 

Tuesday’s fire at the San Pierre Grain Elevator on U.S. 421 was deliberately set. That’s the determination of investigators from the state fire marshals office. They spent two days digging through the rubble with assistance from the San Pierre, North Judson, Bass Lake, Washington Township and Medaryville Volunteer Fire Departments. Dispatchers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office got a call about the fire around 9 Tuesday night. Volunteers from the San Pierre Fire Department arrived a short time later and say the warehouse and silo were both fully engulfed when they showed up. The North Judson, Medaryville and Wheatfield Fire Departments also helped battle the blaze, which took about four hours to contain. A San Pierre Fire Department spokesman declined comment as to where the fire originated, as the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is urged to call the state’s arson hotline at 1-800-382-4628. A reward of up to $5,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest or conviction.