The explosion in Union Mills that took the life of one employee is still under investigation and no cause has yet been determined. According to LaPorte County Chief Deputy Jim Sosinski, the sheriff’s office received a call of an explosion at the Union Mills Co-Op on 800 South around 1:27 p.m., and upon their arrival, no flames were found but there was extensive damage to a grain elevator caused by the explosion. The explosion killed 67-year-old James Swank of Union Mills.
Fire Chief Bill Weaver stated that the firefighters have been called to that abandoned residence four times. The Indiana State Fire Marshal was called to the scene after the fire started the second time and all accidental causes have been ruled out.
There is still no official word on the cause of the fire at the Sandbar at Bass Lake.
Bass Lake Fire Chief Les Jensen is awaiting a report from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office that releases pertinent information concerning the investigation into the early morning fire that destroyed the business on Sunday, Dec. 2.
Jensen has not released a preliminary cause of the fire as it remains under investigation with the Indiana State Fire Marshal.
Five fire departments battled the blaze at the popular Starke County establishment and it took three hours to extinguish the fire.
Now is the time to make sure your smoke detectors are working and to place smoke detectors in your home if you have no smoke alarms in your home.
January, February, and March are common months for fires to occur since it’s the home heating season.
The North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Department was called to a house fire at 112 Lane Street Friday evening. Fire Chief Joe Leszek said the fire occurred at a multiple family dwelling and the structure sustained damage.
No preliminary cause of the fire has been given and it remains under investigation with the State Fire Marshal’s Office. More information on the fire will be released as the investigation unfolds.
Three fire departments battled a house fire at 200 E. and 500 S. in the Bass Lake area yesterday afternoon.
Firefighters from the Bass Lake, Knox-Center Township and North Judson-Wayne Township Fire Departments responded to the location where a 100-year old structure was fully engulfed in flames before crews arrived on scene. No cause has been released yet. A representative from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office was scheduled to meet with Bass Lake fire officials to determine a cause of the fire.
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.
The Winamac Fire Department was called to two fires Monday.
Winamac Fire Chief Bill Weaver said that firefighters were called to an apartment fire at 303 N. Market Street at about 1:30 p.m. ET. They were able to get to the scene quickly and extinguish that fire. Weaver said that an investigator from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office arrived on scene and determined that the fire started in the closet in a bedroom and that it was deliberately set. No arrests have been made yet in this arson case and the fire remains under investigation. If you have any information about this fire, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 946-6655.
Dewey Smith, Jr., 40, a 1989 Knox High School graduate, was found dead inside a burning mobile home just south of New Paris, in Elkhart County on Friday, November 25th. The Elkhart County Sheriff’s Department was able to identify Smith’s body today. An autopsy was scheduled for today to determine the cause of death.
The Star City Fire Department and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a house fire that occurred at Nathan VanDerAa’s home in Star City on Sunday.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office told WKVI that the fire is considered incendiary, meaning that it was created by someone. The home and VanDerAa’s vehicle were both set on fire. VanDerAa was reportedly not at home at the time of the incident. If you have any information about this arson, call the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department at (574) 946-6655. A reward of $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the arrest of any suspect(s) responsible for this incident. Continue reading
One person has died in a house fire that occurred at 7315 E. 100 N. in Starke County. Washington Township Fire officials, along with the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office, are investigating the fire that occurred at midnight.
The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office, Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission and Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority encourage Hoosiers to pursue safe ways to stay warm this season.
Heating equipment was the second leading cause of home fires in the United States in 2008. More than 66,000 reported fires caused 480 civilian deaths, 1,660 civilian injuries and more than $1 billion in property damage.
