News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Local & Bistate

Related Photos

  • Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Beyond repair: The apartment building at 1339 Chestnut Street was damaged beyond repair by a fire and was being demolished Monday.

    MET 012813 1339 CHESTNUT.jpg

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
January 29, 2013

Fire destroys apartment house

The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A fire in the 1300 block of Chestnut Street early Monday destroyed a two-story apartment house and displaced several residents.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, said Jeff Fisher, Terre Haute city fire chief. All occupants safely escaped.

The building contained five apartments, and four were occupied. The house had to be demolished for safety reasons.  The east wall of the two-story building collapsed during the fire, and the west wall was bowed out, making the structure too dangerous for firefighters or investigators to enter, Fisher said. The roof collapsed in the fire.

By late afternoon, the house was almost completely demolished, with nothing but rubble left behind.

Fisher said investigators will have to depend upon witness reports to get information about where the fire started in the building.

A team from the American Red Cross was collecting information about the displaced residents in an effort to get aid and shelter arranged for those who need it.

The apartment house’s owner, Mark Oster, was at the scene as the building was being demolished late Monday afternoon. While the cause remains under investigation, “It’s very likely the fire was set,” he said.

A neighbor who lives next door, Danny Montgomery, said that after the fire broke out, he was awakened by his fiancee’s daughter.

“When we came out, the whole building was on fire. Everyone was screaming and yelling” and making sure everyone was out of the apartment house, he said. “We gave a few clothing items and cigarettes to help out.”

He and other members of his household had to evacuate their home because of concerns it also could catch fire, he said.

Stephanie Land, the Red Cross emergency services director, estimated the agency assisted 17 people affected by the fire, including several children.

Not all of those in the building were listed as tenants, she said.

In two of the apartments, there were were “several generations living together,” she said.  That’s not unusual, Land said. “The way the economy is, we see more and more families having to move in with each other. They can’t maintain different residences.”

Anyone wanting to offer assistance to the occupants can contact the Wabash Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross at 812-232-3393.

“People lost everything,” she said.

Red Cross assisted with hotel lodging, food and clothing. “We also work with Goodwill and our community partners to supplement what we do,” Land said.

It appeared many of those affected by Monday’s fire would be able to find a place to stay, possibly with relatives, she said.



You Can Help

• Anyone wanting to offer assistance to the occupants can contact the Wabash Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross at 812-232-3393.

 

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local & Bistate
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Raw: Texas Gov. Flies Over Tornado Damage NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools Raw: Gun Scare Mars Cannes Film Festival Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction Raw: Germany Protestors Picket Barbie House China, Others Want What's Under the Arctic Ice Officials Arrest Man in Idaho in Terrorism Case Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big One Million Evacuated As Cyclone Hits Bangladesh $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
NDN Video
Twiggy, the Water Skiing Squirrel Sailor Surprises His Mom At Her CU Denver Graduation Ceremony Official: ‘Amazing’ No One Was Killed In CT Train Crash Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country Coffee Stop Leads To Arrest Of YouTube Sensation Wanted For Murder Bearded Dragon Reunited With Owner Marine Reunited with Warzone Companion Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool Beyonce Is Pregnant! SF baseball player overpaid $500,000 RETURNS money -- and team says KEEP IT $1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest Dad returns from Afghanistan, surprises family during Rays' first pitch See Jennifer Lopez's New $10m Hamptons Mansion Woman tricked into taking abortion pill Emma Watson Goes Pantless IRS scandal: Republicans seek to tie Obama to agency's woes Play of the Day: Flipping to Safety Pregnant Kim Kardashian Squeezes Her Swollen Feet Into Stilettos Top Videos of the Week: Angry Taco Bell Guy, Glacier Moves on House, Dog Hates Baths Cindy Crawford Stuns At Cannes
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News