Access to blast area remains restricted

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Tuesday, insurance adjusters will join the crowd of people working inside the site of the deadly south side explosion in Indianapolis last weekend. But police have a message for those who don’t have business being in that neighborhood: Stay out.

Emergency officials said they’re trying to deter people from driving in the area to see the damage. They’re checking IDs at the entrances to the neighborhood, and anyone who doesn’t have an ID with an address inside the area won’t be allowed in.

Indianapolis Fire Department spokesperson Rita Burris said crews on the scene are transitioning from response to recovery, and debris removal and cleanup has begun. The street had been cleared by late Tuesday morning.

• PHOTOS | Images from Richmond Hill

Also Tuesday, a Joint Information/Operations Center was opened to be a central place for the investigation, recovery and people looking to gain access to the neighborhood. Insurance agents and contractors can check in at the center for credentials to enter Richmond Hill.

Indianapolis Power and Light has restored power to all but six homes in the area, IFD said.

Investigators continue their work, and 29 homes are still considered too unstable to be livable. The city’s Department of Code Enforcement has come up with a color-coded system for the range of damage.

• ONLINE EXTRA | Take a closer look at the damage with our interactive map

Only six affected homes have been coded as green, meaning that experts think they can be salvaged, but need to be more thoroughly inspected. Those marked in yellow and orange have more extensive damage, and demolition may still be necessary, depending on the findings of further inspections. The five in red either were destroyed or suffered the most severe damage as they were closest to the blast site. They are facing demolition.

Code Enforcement and IFD officials are still escorting residents who want to retrieve belongings from the damaged homes. 

Counseling is also being provided to victims by various agencies, IFD said, including the Red Cross, MESH and emergency department chaplains.

IFD also said its investigators had determined there is no evidence to suggest a meth lab at the blast site. Investigators are awaiting futher results from utility and IFD tests, and the ATF continues to assist in the investigation.