Crews respond to northeast side apartment fire, $850,000 in damage
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Investigators are looking into the cause of an apartment fire on the city’s northeast side that left one firefighter injured and dozens of residents displaced.
It happened at Timber Point Apartments near Fall Creek Road and Shadeland Avenue just before 6:00 p.m.
Firefighters spent about an hour or so working to get everything under control. Indianapolis Fire Battalion Chief Rita Reith told 24 Hour News the building did have working smoke alarms and everyone made it out safely.
Video taken at the scene by the Indianapolis Fire Department shows massive flames coming from the apartment building on Newberry Court.
Nicole Royal lives in a nearby building and heard the alarms go off.
“Alarms went off in our apartment building we came outside and seen fire coming from the apartment in front of us next thing you know you see flames,” said Royal.
Royal said her family has never seen anything like this before.
“A lot of black smoke, a lot of amber coming from the smoke and then a big fire the roof caved in very scary,” she said.
Firefighters from Indianapolis and Lawrence responded to the two alarm fire meaning they had to call for extra resources. Investigators said the building had 24 units– 12 now left with extensive fire damage and the remaining units with smoke and water damage.
“The fire got up into the attic space and hit the firewall which stop it from advancing through the attic space then the fire went up and over the firewall into the roof and kind of got into the structure that way,” said Reith.
Investigators said at least 30 people, including children were inside the building at the time. They all made it out safely.
“We were thankful that this building did have working smoke alarms,” said Reith. “One of the residents had the fore thought to pull the smoke alarm for the whole building and everybody was out okay.’
The fire caused an estimated $850,000 in damages. One firefighter from Lawrence was checked for a shoulder injury.
The American Red Cross is helping displaced residents with the a place to stay.
The fire briefly re-ignited in an attic around 2 a.m. Tuesday.