Attempt to light heater ignites large building fire in Indianapolis

Warehouse blaze caused by oil-gas mixture

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — No people were hurt late Monday night in a large building fire easily visible to I-70 drivers on the city’s east side.

One adult dog and five puppies were killed in the fire, Indianapolis Fire Department says.

The building fire was reported about 10:35 p.m. Monday in the 2700 block of Adams Street. That’s in an industrial area just southeast of the I-70 interchange for Keystone and Rural avenues.

The building was used for the El Palomar Auto Body Repair and Granite Customs businesses. The owner of El Palomar lived in an apartment attached to the auto body shop. The dog and puppies were located in the apartment, the Indianapolis Fire Department says.

Indianapolis Fire Department says the fire was accidental and the result of the improper use of a propane gas heater.

Rita Reith, a fire department spokesperson, says three people in the body shop tried to light the heater with the wrong fuel inside, leading to the fire. They got out of the building before fire personnel arrived.

It took crews one hour to contain the fire. Reith says IFD terminated command at 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. Fire crews returned to the scene around 5 a.m., apparently to put out some hotspots.

A website for a business called Granite Customs lists this address as one of its three locations across Indiana and Michigan. Information shared by police at the scene during the fire indicated the warehouse was part of the kitchen and bath countertop maker.

An Indiana Department of Transportation camera captured flames and smoke going high into the air for more than an hour.

A building fire was reported about 10:35 p.m. Jan. 6, 2025, in the 2700 block of Adams Street, Indianapolis. That’s in an industrial area just southeast of the I-70 interchange for Keystone and Rural avenues. (WISH Photo/Danielle Zuilkosky)
A building fire was reported about 10:35 p.m. Jan. 6, 2025, in the 2700 block of Adams Street, Indianapolis. That’s in an industrial area just southeast of the I-70 interchange for Keystone and Rural avenues. (WISH Photo/Danielle Zuilkosky)
A building fire was reported about 10:35 p.m. Jan. 6, 2025, in the 2700 block of Adams Street, Indianapolis. That’s in an industrial area just southeast of the I-70 interchange for Keystone and Rural avenues. (WISH Photo/Danielle Zuilkosky)
(Photo from Provided Video/Indiana Department of Transportation)