The Knox Center Township Fire Department is reminding residents to follow a few key rules when operating a space heater this winter.
The devices use electricity to help warm various spaces in homes, typically during colder months. Keeping the device too close to flammable household items can result in structure fires or other damage.
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As the Indiana temperatures continue to get colder many residents are turning to their fireplaces or wood stoves for warmth. Keep in mind, there are ways to burn a more efficient fire and reduce wood smoke which is harmful to human health and a source of air pollution.
According to the report, the victim told police she heard a loud noise and the power went out. Shortly afterward, the victim said her children alerted her to a fire in the basement. She went to investigate and said she saw flames coming from the breaker panel and immediately called 911. The family was able to exit the home safely with no reported injuries.
The fire remains under investigation.
Knox-Center Township Fire Chief Kenny Pfost stated that his department has not been called to many grass or brush fires during this dry spell and encourages residents not to burn – especially on windy days.
The cause of a Tuesday morning fire at a Walkerton home remains under investigation. It started in the garage of the residence at 2973 Redwood Road around 9:30 a.m. The family got out of the home safely, according to ABC 57, but three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion. Lapaz-North Township Fire Chief Chris Oginsky tells the TV station they were treated with IV fluids and will be fine. Tanker trucks from multiple departments hauled water to the scene since there are not fire hydrants in the area. Oginsky says firefighters also had a tough time accessing the attic area to extinguish the flames.
Officials in LaPorte County are still looking into the cause of a July 4th fire in a jail cell that sent one inmate to the hospital and forced the temporary evacuation of about 40 others. The fire started just before 1 p.m. in a cell occupied by Marzano R. Shelly, 35, of Michigan City. He’s jailed pending trial on charges of murder, robbery, possession of a firearm by a violent felon and battery by bodily waste. Shelly was alone in the cell, according to “The Times,” and is believed to have tried to burn his mattress. It smoked but did not fully ignite. Matches and lighters are banned from the jail, so it’s unclear how Shelly may have started the fire. The cell is located in an area of the jail reserved for inmates with disciplinary problems. The other nearby inmates were shifted to another part of the jail for a few hours.
Firefighters spent Sunday afternoon battling a blaze at a 75-acre mulch and wooden pallet yard in Argos. Crews were called to North Central Pallets on SR 10 around 1 p.m. and remained there for nearly eight hours, according to WNDU-TV. There are no fire hydrants in the area, so tanker trucks had to make numerous trips to bring water in. There’s no word yet on the cause of the blaze.
Starke County detectives are continuing in their investigation of the arson committed at the Sandbar at Bass Lake.
Police and fire officials have not released the cause of the fire due to the ongoing investigation.
Five fire departments battled the early morning fire on Dec. 2. It took three hours to extinguish. Investigators from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office returned with an arson ruling several weeks after the incident.
Detectives are asking for your help in gathering information about this incident. There is a reward of up to $5,000 if you can relay information that leads to the arrest of any person(s) involved in this arson. Your anonymous tip can be reported by calling 1-800-382-4628.
If you’re heading to Valpo today, you may want to avoid the downtown area.
An early morning fire destroyed a building at the southeast corner of Lincolnway and Michigan Street.
Several fire departments were called to the scene of a woods fire this morning west of U.S. 31 between Queen and Riley Roads.
Marshall County Sheriff’s Department officials said that the fire is now contained and fire crews are leaving the scene. The cause of the fire has not been released.
Fire crews from Lakeville, Lapaz, Polk Township, Walkerton and Southwest Center Township Fire Departments battled the blaze that burned 65 acres in the wooded area. No buildings were damaged and no firefighters were injured. The blaze was called in to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department around 5am ET.
A fire at the Knox Taco Bell yesterday brought the term “fiery hot” to the next level. An electrical fire occurred at the fast food chain at around 1 p.m. CT, but the fire had been extinguished by the time emergency crews had arrived.
Fire Chief Ken Pfost said the fire appeared to be caused by an electrical issue at an outlet near the drive-thru. He said the outlet had a poor quality extension cord plugged into it and may have overloaded the circuit, causing the fire, but did not trip the breakers. If you do not want such an incident happening to you, click on the following to find the Best extension cord reel.
The Washington Township Fire Department was called to a fire on 1025 East Monday night.
Assistant Fire Chief Dave Pearman said a big oak tree fell on some electrical lines in that area which caused two transformers to explode. The tree then fell into the road, and a driver soon struck the tree. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and the driver received minor injuries and refused treatment at the scene.
REMC was called to the scene to deactivate the electrical lines so cleanup could begin.
The Knox City Police Department and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department were called to a fire at 11:00 p.m. last night at a home across from Advanced Auto Parts on U.S. 35.
The neighbors saw the fire on the side of the vacant home and called the Sheriff’s Department. They reportedly had the fire out by the time officials arrived on scene. The fire caused a minimal amount of damage.
The Medaryville Fire Department was called to a garage fire early Sunday morning at 6551 N. 1150 W. in Medaryville. Medaryville Fire Chief, Shaun Hauptli, said that when the firefighters arrived on scene, a massive garage was on fire and it was getting close to the back of the house.
The fire was so large Hauptli said he called for manpower and water assistance from the San Pierre and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments. Water assistance was also requested from Bass Lake, Winamac, Francesville and LaCrosse Fire Departments.
The fire at at 2915 S. 800 E. in Washington Township has been ruled accidental.
“The fire started on the west side of the house around a wood burner and that’s what caused the fire,” said Fred Sumpter from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. “The burner was positioned around the center portion of the house.”
Sumpter said his investigation into the incident is now complete.
A fire ripped through a home at 2915 S. and 800 E. in Starke County on Friday, December 23rd.
“The occupants awoke to an extra warm home, but there were no smoke alarms going off,” said Washington Township Assistant Fire Chief, Dave Pearman. “The man entered the living room and saw flames showing in the house and immediately tried to get their dogs out and that took a little bit of time. By the time they had most of the dogs, all but one, out of the house, the house was fully engulfed. Unfortunately, their smoke detector wasn’t working.”
An arson incident is being investigated in Knox.
Knox-Center Township Fire Department firefighters were called to a garage fire at 0020 N. 500 E. in Knox on Thursday, November 22nd. Firefighters discovered a fire along the back wall of the garage and it was quickly extinguished. The fire was ruled electrical/accidental. Firefighters were called to the same residence the next day and extinguished another fire that was located on the back wall of the garage near the location of the previous fire.
A car caught fire in the McDonald’s parking lot in Knox this morning. No injuries were reported and the Knox-Center Township Fire Department responded to the scene. The car was owned by Bill Wallace. There is no report yet on how the fire started.
