SYRACUSE - While the cause of the fire at Main Channel Marina in Syracuse was still under investigation late Thursday morning, Syracuse-Turkey Creek Fire Territory Chief Mickey Scott said it’ll be interesting to know that because of where the fire began.
“It’s still under investigation. The state fire marshal’s office is taking care of that right now,” he said in an interview at the scene, adding later, “Just kind of curious what we’ll find was the cause of this fire was. It’s back in the back part, which basically is kind of the offices and break room.”
Turkey Creek Fire Department got the call of a reported fire at Main Channel, 720 S. Lakeside Drive, Syracuse, at 2:54 a.m., but five departments ultimately were on scene. Turkey Creek is on automatic response with the North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Fire Territory. Mutual aid also was received from Milford, Benton Township and Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory. Syracuse Police Department also responded to the scene.

    Firefighters battle the blaze from the backside of the marina. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union.
  

The fire was under control within about an hour, Scott estimated. As of about 10 a.m., firefighters were still on scene and Scott said they were just keeping control over hot spots and making sure the fire was out.
No injuries were reported. Scott said the building was not occupied when his department arrived on scene.
“They said the call was approximately a quarter-mile away and saw the flames. PD got here, they saw it from a distance then notified us. It was fully engulfed on the back side of the structure,” he said.
While they received reports of explosions, Scott said they never verified those.
“It could have been a lot of different things, but it did not explode while we were here. We had no explosions while we were on scene,” he stated.
To prevent or contain any chemical leaks into the lake from the marina, Scott said that’s why Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory was contacted for assistance. “They used floatation booths to contain any runoff that we would have had from this structure. IDEM was contacted, they’re here now, so we’re working with them as well. As far as we can tell right now, there’s no contaminants in this water at this point. There was no loss of fuel or anything like that. There are two fuel tanks in the back, but there was never any spill.”
Around noon Thursday, Kosciusko County Emergency Management Agency issued a statement, saying, “The runoff from this morning’s fire at Main Channel Marina has necessitated the use of hydrophobic booms to absorb oils and hydrocarbons on the surface of the water south of the marina. Please do not disturb these booms or run over them with a boat. The booms are red and white ... They will be removed by IDEM in a few days.”
On their Facebook page midmorning, Main Channel posted, “Firstly, we want to express our deepest gratitude to the incredible first responders and the Wawasee community for the overwhelming support during this time.
“In the early hours of November 7th, a fire broke out at our Lakeside location, and thanks to the swift, courageous actions of our local firefighters, the fire was quickly contained.
“We’re incredibly thankful that no one was injured, and no customer property was harmed. We feel blessed to be part of such a caring and resilient community, and we’re inspired by the bravery of those who acted so selflessly to protect our team and our customers.
“Until further notice, we’ll be operating from our Huntington Street location, and you can reach us at 574-457-4200 for any needs.
“Thank you once again for your continued support, care and compassion as we move forward together,” the statement concludes.

    Firefighters battle the blaze from the backside of the marina. Photo by Gary Nieter, Times-Union.