Residual product inside a storage tank being removed by a demolition company at the former LSC Communications property on Old 30 caught fire Monday afternoon.
According to a news release Tuesday from the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, WWFT was dispatched at 3:12 p.m. to 2801 W. Old 30, Warsaw, for a possible structure fire. Upon arrival, WWFT personnel determined the building was not involved. A storage tank was being removed by a demolition company, when residual product inside the storage tank caught fire.
The immediate area was air monitored by fire department personnel. The surrounding area and area downwind were deemed safe. WWFT was on scene for approximately three hours.
After decades of operating under the RR Donnelley name, the former magazine press facility was later sold to LSC Communications and then closed in 2023, according to NewsNowWarsaw.
A Milwaukee investment firm is in the process of cleaning up the property with plans to redevelop the industrial site.
During Tuesday’s WWFT Board meeting, Mayor Jeff Grose asked Chief Joel Shilling about the fire.
“It went well. A lot of agencies had to work together. We called in Kosciusko County EMA, they were involved. IDEM was involved. The Health Department, we consulted with them a little bit. It just could have been a lot bigger than what it was. Fortunately, it went pretty well. We all worked well together and the guys did a great job and I appreciate their efforts,” he stated.
WWFT was assisted at the scene by Winona Lake Fire Department, Atwood Fire Department, Kosciusko County EMA, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office and Warsaw Police Department.