Crews respond to 2 fires in Mooresville

MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) - A Morgan County family is without a home after fire ripped through their house Friday afternoon. At the same time, crews also responded to a two-alarm fire at a large manufacturing plant nearby.

Firefighters were first called to the TOA USA metal stamping plant in the 2000 block of Pleiades Drive just after noon after employees reported a fire in a ventilation shaft leading to the roof of the plan. Because the plant has its own water supply, the fire department’s response was automatically upgraded to a second alarm, which brought additional manpower and tanker trucks from surrounding townships.

Fire crews believe an exhaust fan near the plant’s roof overheated. The fire was quickly contained, though crews continued working to make sure it hadn’t spread. A portion of the roof and the exhaust system will have to be replaced, said Mooresville Fire Chief Tim Medsker.

No one was hurt.

As crews were investigating the plant fire, they began to see smoke in the distance, Medsker said. Almost immediately, they were called to the 900 block of S. Johnson Rd., where they found a home engulfed in flames.

The fire was especially difficult to fight because of water supply problems, said Brown Township Fire Chief Brian Stanley.

“The hydrants are down here in Mooresville, therefore we've got a tanker task force established. It's automatic response to get all this equipment here. It was real difficult to fight. So, we had several companies from not only Morgan County but also Marion County Fire Departments as well,” Stanley said.

Hydrants were taken offline in Mooresville several weeks ago while repairs to the town’s water tower are completed, Stanley said.

No one was home at the time the fire broke out, and no firefighters were hurt.

The garage and second floor of the home are total losses, and the rest of the home sustained heavy smoke and water damage, estimated between $50,000 and $80,000.

Investigators believe the fire started in the garage, but they had not issued an official cause late Friday.