Fire destroys production building at smelting plant on west side
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A fire on Wednesday night destroyed a production building for a smelting plant on the city’s west side, according to Wayne Township Fire Department.
A caller reported flames jutting from the roof of the two-story building just before 8:10 p.m. Wednesday at Engineered Refractory Shapes and Services, 1635 Expo Lane. That’s in a commercial area off Country Club Road between West 10th and 21st streets.
One firefighter received minor injuries that were treated at the scene, according to Courtney Rice, division chief of community risk reduction for the Wayne Township Fire Department. No other injuries were reported.
The fire also spread to and damaged an adjacent 1½-story warehouse, which remains standing.
The last employee had left the building at 5:30 p.m., Rice said.
Firefighters got the blaze under control by 9:20 p.m. However, investigators had been unable to get into the production building to determine what started the blaze. Firefighters were waiting for a natural gas line to be shut down from the street before entering the destroyed structure.
The business makes furnace casings. Because it’s a smelting plant, the Marion County Public Health Department was called to determine if there was any environmental contamination, Rice told News 8.