A fire on the city’s north side lit up the early morning sky as Indianapolis Fire Department crews rushed to halt its spread across at least two houses.
Fire crews were alerted to the residential fire about 5:40 a.m. Oct. 28 at a two-story building on the 2900 block of North Delaware Street near the East 30th Street intersection and blocks away from the Children’s Museum, according to the Indianapolis police portal.
Once on scene, crews learned the fire had spread from the original house to neighboring buildings, forcing residents to evacuate nearby homes. No injuries were reported.
The responding fire crew attempted to extinguish the blaze quickly, but the fire continued to reignite, ultimately pushing the crew to request backup.
Seven Indianapolis Fire Department stations were eventually called to the scene to fight the fire, due to the size of the fire, according to IFD Battalion Chief Rita L. Reith.
The fire originated from a vacant home. It was deemed under control after about 45 minutes from the time firefighters arrived, Reith said in an emailed update.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. There were no utilities to the structure and neighbors told firefighters that squatters were in and out of the home.
The city’s Building and Neighborhood Services was asked to determine the house unsafe and have it demolished.
“The home where the fire started, is a family home — purchased around 1981,” Reith said.
The Red Cross is working with displaced residents.
(This article was updated to add images.)
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Two homes damaged in residential fires on north side of Indianapolis
Reporting by Noe Padilla, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
