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"The whole corner is gone."
That's how Warsaw Fire Chief Ken Shepherd described the destruction left by a fire early Sunday morning that took out a quarter-block of Warsaw's downtown.
A Warsaw police officer on routine patrol noticed smoke coming from The Butterfly at the southeast corner of Lake and Market streets shortly before 5 a.m. and notified the fire department. Firefighters arrived minutes later and smoke and flames were already showing. An attempt was made to fight the fire from the inside, but the flames began to lick through the roof about 15 minutes into the effort. Shepherd said an order was issued that no one was to be inside the building or on the roof for fear that the structure could collapse.
Firefighters said they knew about an hour into the battle that the fight would be simply to contain and extinguish the blaze rather than try to save the buildings. Warsaw Tool Supply Inc. also was destroyed by the fire. Walls that started to collapse were pushed in to keep debris from scattering onto the streets.
Crews are on the scene again today, after having worked more than 15 hours initially to douse the fire and any "hot spots" that emerged afterwards. Firefighters left about 8 p.m. Sunday night, but returned about 3 a.m. today when smoke began rising from the rubble.
At the peak of the fire, eight departments - Warsaw, Winona Lake, Atwood, Leesburg, Pierceton, Larwill, Burket and Syracuse - were working together, with at least 70 firemen at the scene. "I'm not sure how many firefighters we had," Shepherd said. "They were everywhere."
Although the buildings were destroyed, firefighters did keep the flames from spreading across the south alley to the Warsaw License Branch, as well as across the east alley. However, businesses to the east, including Bob List Photography and Dennie House, sustained heavy smoke damage, officials said.
Thick black smoke filled the air once the fire broke into the plastics and other materials inside the buildings, officials said. There was concern for people downwind of the smoke because the Butterfly building, which formerly housed the Sears catalog store for many years, likely contained asbestos, according to fire officials. Warnings were given for those in the area to avoid inhaling the smoke if at all possible. Shepherd said he will contact MedStat today to find out what should be done for his firefighters who were breathing in the smoke all day and that he will follow whatever recommendation they offer.
Only one firefighter was injured during the fire. Joe Fretz suffered a cut finger while helping to remove a steel door at the back side of the building prior to firefighters going inside for the first time. He was taken to Kosciusko Community Hospital, where he received stitches to close the cut and later returned to the scene for a while before being relieved of his duties for the day, Shepherd said.
Throughout the day, crowds gathered to watch the firefighters, with people still milling about as late at 10:30 p.m. Market Street is closed from Buffalo to Lake streets until fire officials finish their work at the scene and additional cleanup efforts are made. A representative of the state fire marshal's office was expected on the scene this morning. Officials said they know the fire began in the back of the building, but a cause has yet to be determined.
Shepherd said he is grateful for the quick response from NIPSCO crews to get electric and gas lines shut down. Also, the Warsaw Street Department sent in crews with excavators to help dig through the debris and allow firefighters to get water to smoldering embers in a basement area of The Butterfly.
"The street department came through for us early," Shepherd said. "We really appreciate that."
