Indianapolis, Indiana – On Saturday morning, callers reported seeing heavy smoke and fire coming from an industrial building on the south side, which prompted emergency crews to respond to the area.
In accordance with the information provided by the Indianapolis Fire Department, firefighters were sent to the Indianapolis Industrial Center Recycling Plant Building No. 3 located at 3000 Shelby St. at approximately 8:10 a.m.
According to IFD, the company both decommissions and recycles the products it sells. According to the owner of the building, the company has been operating out of this location since the 1920s.
When the fire started, there was nobody inside the building where it was happening. The size of the structure is approximately 15,000 square feet. Multiple reports came to dispatchers about the building being engulfed in thick smoke and having a fire.
IFD reported that 28 units were sent out, and a second alarm was called just before 9 o’clock in the morning. IFD brought the blaze under control at 9:42 in the morning, after dispatching approximately 75 firefighters to the scene. About two more hours passed while the crews continued to work at the scene.
Investigators have a strong suspicion that the fire started in a fifth wheel that was parked inside the building; however, the precise cause of the fire is still unknown. According to IFD, it could be of an electrical nature.
Nobody was hurt in any way. In addition to the Indianapolis Fire Department’s Fire Buffs, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Indiana Emergency Medical Services were also dispatched to the scene. It has been requested that the Marion County Public Health Department investigate any runoff as well as any additional health concerns.
The investigation into the fire is still ongoing.
