Deer Chase Apartments latest in a string of fires in Noblesville
Dry conditions and hot weather has caused the Noblesville Fire Department to be very busy this month.
“In the last 30 days we’ve had 16 or 17 incidents – eight of these occurred this month,” NFD Division Chief Rick Russell said on June 13. “It’s just so dry. What you did in the past (with fire pits and grills), you have to be very cautious. We’re concerned that July and August could be very hazardous and dangerous.”
The latest blaze occurred in the Deer Chase Apartment complex on the eastside of the city on June 10. Russell said the estimated damage was more than $2.5 million.
Russell
“This was probably one of our worst fires in recent history,” NFD Assistant Chief Greg Wyant said.
Russell said the fire originated in a 1997 Chevy Cavalier Convertible that was parked underneath a carport. The carport had three enclosed garages on both ends, and four open covered parking spaces in the middle. The vehicle owner, Dawn Jackson Uhrick, said the top was down on the car at the time of the fire. A witness told officials they saw a juvenile inside the vehicle approximately five minutes before the incident.
“This wasn’t an accident,” Russell said of the fire’s origin. He added that after reviewing the vehicle there was no malfunctions with the car.
Russell said police and fire officials need the public’s assistance in identifying this juvenile – a white male, approximately 10 years old, who was riding a red bicycle. If anyone has information about the fire they are encourage to call the Noblesville police at 776-6371.
“We would like to find him and talk to him,” said Russell. “Did he intend to set the car on fire? We don’t know, but we need to talk to him.”
Russell said numerous 911 calls came from the complex reporting that numerous cars and a carport were on fire came in at approximately 10:52 a.m. June 10. An adjacent apartment building was already on fire by the time firefighters arrived and crews needed more than an hour to get the blaze under control.
“Upon fire suppression crews leaving their fire stations they could see a large plume of smoke in the area of the apartment complex,” he said. “The first objective for suppression crews was to address the large number of individual who did not know their building was on fire, and help them escape.”
The fire affected approximately 24 units. Russell was unsure of the exact number affected but estimated it was 100 people.
“We’re averaging four people per unit – some had two, some had six,” he said.
Brush fire destroys roadside grass
Brush Fire
Dry weather and unforeseen circumstances combined to start a field fire along Interstate 69 (mile marker 11 to 14) on June 8.
NFD Division Chief Rick Russell said the NFD was dispatched to a report of brush fires along the southbound lanes of I-69, on the north side of the interstate, at approximately noon. Upon fire suppression crews’ arrival they discovered numerous large brush fires in the southbound lanes stretching from approximately
the Hamilton Town Center Mall exit to approximately Cyntheanne Road.
“We believe that the fires are a result of a large truck that might have had a wheel that was stuck as it traveled down the interstate,” explained Russell. “There is evidence of debris in the roadway from a tire that was burning. Possibly some of the debris made it to the side ditch and ignited the very dry vegetation.”
Fire Departments from Fishers and Wayne Township in Hamilton County assisted NFD with the mitigation of the incident, extinguishing all fires in a little over an hour.
Russell would like to remind everyone that this extended hot and dry weather increases the chances of an outside fire.
“Everyone across Hamilton County needs to take the threat of fire from these dry conditions seriously. These dry conditions can cause fires to develop quickly and spread out of control,” he said.
Russell is particularly concerned about the dry conditions and lack of rain projected around the Fourth of July.
“We’re getting closer to fireworks season. If it is dry like this, I’m worried there could be a rash of field fires,” he said. “Field fires are very, very dangerous because vegetation burns so rapidly and it can change direction because of the wind.”
Updates on other fires
June 6 – Officials said the residential fire at 1053 N. 10th St. was not an accident. The fire destroyed the mother-in-law quarters and damaged a portion of the house owned by Frank Hart. Russell said the mother-in-law quarters were not occupied and there was no gas connection or electricity in that portion of the home. Officials believe a theft occurred in that area and the fire might have been started to cover the crime. “Things were taken,” Russell said.
June 4 – Russell said the barn fire at Dr. Norman and Peggy Mindrebo’s residence at 5465 E. 161st St. has been listed as undetermined. While the Mindrebo’s were able to get six horses safely out to pasture, they lost the two barns. Russell said that the homeowners were staining lumber and rags were placed in a container where it is assumed they spontaneously combusted due to a chemical reaction. Russell said the Mindrebo’s were trying to do a good deed and give the barns a face lift. Estimated cost of the fire is “a couple hundred thousand dollars.”
Hampering efforts to put out the blaze were the fire’s intensity, hot and windy weather conditions and the complex’s compact setting. Russell said low water pressure was also issues as nearby hydrants’ valves were restricted. Crews had to stretch hoses to hydrants a couple blocks away as Noblesville Police blocked off Marilyn Road for the equipment.
“Firefighters deployed hose lines and once they began to spray water they quickly realized there was a shortage of water,” said Wyant. “The water supply in the complex was compromised.”
Wyant said that first respondents need 2,000 to 3,000 gallons a minute.
“We’re estimating we had 200 to 300 a minute,” he said.
Russell said the apartment complex did not have fire walls. When it was built less than 10 years ago, the minimum fire code was breeze stops.
“Breeze stops are ordinary combustible plywood. The fire burned right through and kept moving,” he said.
Noblesville Police officers are currently providing security to protect the fire scene and the property of the tenants who could not get back into their apartment at this time.
No residents were injured in the fire; however, three firefighters were treated for heat related injuries. Russell said one firefighter was treated and released at the scene, and the other two – one from Noblesville and the other from Fishers Fire Dept. – were transported to the hospital and later released.
Since the fire, donations of food, clothing and toys for kids have been pouring into the community room at the apartment complex. Several area churches have been organization donation drives since the news of the fire.
“Our community came together in this event to show what we are made of,” Mayor John Ditslear said.
