Fire destroys downtown apt. development

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) - An early morning fire that destroyed a $28 million apartment complex under-construction in downtown Indianapolis is still smoldering Thursday night. The fire broke out just after 3 a.m.

The new development called Cosmopolitan on the Canal, an upscale apartment complex has been under construction for a year now. The building was just months away from opening its doors. Now, the developers will have to start all over. The development is considered a total loss.

Read more about the investigation into the fire

This is one of those fires you have to see to believe. Check out the video by clicking on the video player in the upper left of this report.

“The first unit on the corner about 70 units or so I believe were scheduled to open in May. The remainder of the building was set to open in September,” said Jerry Collins, developer.

Collins said the sprinkler system and fire walls were scheduled to be installed in two weeks.

“We did not have it charged up yet, had it been charged up the fire would be out now,” said Collins.

“Firefighters have been working hard all morning to get this under control,” said Rita Reith, PIO of Indianapolis Fire Department.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Mayor Greg Ballard as well as IFD Chief Sanford said they are very proud of the work their firefighters have done, and they said the fire could have been much worse.

One of the challenges firefighters faced is the ice. As the ladder trucks sprayed water on the building, a fine mist covered everything on the ground. The mist quickly froze, making the area resemble a skating rink.

Several downtown streets are still blocked off due to the fire. Indiana, Senate & Michigan Streets will remain closed until at least Friday morning. West Street was opened at approximately 11:30 am and traffic is flowing well. Click here to find out your best route home.

When the building was fully engulfed, people could see the smoke and flames from miles away. The smoke was so thick it enveloped half of the One America building.

Terri Dusenbery and her husband, who live nearby, briefly fled their condo out of fear the fire might spread.

"Our bedroom was bright orange and I thought, 'What is going on?'" she said. "So I got up and looked out, and the fire was so intense our window was hot."

Others watched the blaze with amazement.

"It feels like I'm standing next to my fireplace now. The city's burning down or something," said David Harden.

Fiery ash from the fire fell to the ground and created more fire hazards. The embers ignited bushes in the area and were even burning on top of cars.

One building firefighters worked hard to protect was the Indiana Historic Landmarks Foundation. The building is about 125 years old. Fire officials said the historic building did sustain some damage, but the extent is not known at this time.

“As an organization dedicated to saving historic structures across Indiana, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana is grateful for the heroic efforts of our city’s firefighters to protect our headquarters from today’s terrible downtown fire," said Marsh Davis, president of Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. "While our building, which sits adjacent to the complex involved in the blaze, did suffer damage, if not for the quick work of the Indianapolis Fire Department, our home might have been lost. Our gratitude goes out to all of the city’s safety personnel on the scene this morning, and our best wishes go out to residents and business owners affected by today’s fire.”

The Cosmopolitan on the Canal project broke ground in March 2008. The design called for 218 apartments on the upper floors and 20,000 square feet of stores on the lower floor. The developer said that they had invested $28 million in the project.

The Cosmopolitan was going to be a luxury apartment complex with retail stores on the ground floor. Across the street is Mo Joe coffee house. One of the employees expected the Cosmopolitan to bring him more business once it was occupied, but that won't happen anytime soon. 

The developer told 24-Hour News 8 they did have insurance and they will rebuild.

Captain Reith said due to the magnitude of the fire 12 fire investigators from IMPD, IFD, and ATF are trying to determine the cause of the fire. She said it could be days before they determine a cause.