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IFD battles early morning building fire on city’s near east side

Firefighter minorly injured in fire near Irvington

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Members of the Indianapolis Fire Department spent part of Wednesday morning battling a building fire on the city’s near east side.

Fire crews were called just before 4:30 a.m. to a fire at the intersection of East Washington Street and Wallace Avenue opposite Thomas Carr Howe High School.

Fireifghters arrived and saw flames coming from the top floor of an apartment building. Crews spent several hours dumping water on the flames and what remained of the building’s roof and interior.

One firefighter was transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital with a slight injury after he “stepped in a hole at the back of the home,” IFD told News 8 at the scene.

IFD did not say if the building was occupied when the fire began, but neighbors told News 8 that no one lived there. An apartment-finder website shows a recent listing for a one-bedroom apartment at the same address.

An IMPD police report shows that officers were called to the building for an arson investigation in June 2021. The outcome of the investigation was unknown.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.