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Morgan County fire station closes over safety concerns

In this undated photo, Madison Township Fire Department Station 831 is shown at 10023 N. Kitchen Road near Mooresville, Indiana. (Provided Photo/Madison Township Fire Department via Facebook)

MOORESVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A township’s fire station in Morgan County has closed over safety concerns, the department announced Friday.

Madison Township Fire Department closed Station 831 at 10023 N. Kitchen Road. The station, a short drive south of the roundabout on State Road 144, was built in 1992.

A social media post issued Friday afternoon said, “Over the years, as Madison Township has grown, the demands for staffing and fire apparatus have taxed the facility. Safety concerns about degradation of concrete and the lack of adequate living quarters for staff were cited as the two main reasons for the decision to temporarily shut down the station.”

The township is roughly bordered by Indianapolis on the north, the White River to the southwest and County Road 500 East on the west. Madison Township had an estimated population of 10,174 in 2022, according to Stats Indiana, adding more than 4,700 residents since 1990. One of the township’s largest housing developments is Heartland Crossing.

The firefighters and their equipment have been moved the township fire department’s other facility, Station 832, which has an address of 7047 E. Landersdale Road, Camby. That’s about 3 miles east of the intersection of State Road 67 and Bridge Street in Mooresville.

The fire chief is working with other departments that provide mutual aid to create new emergency response plans. In addition, plans are being made to upgrade Station 831.

Chief Anthony McClure said in a news release, “In order to serve Madison Township to the best of our ability, we need to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our team.”