Published: May 20, 2009 11:01 pm         

Investigators say cause of downtown fire will ‘take a while to determine’

TERRE HAUTE — Investigators were still sifting through rubble Wednesday afternoon at 321 Ohio St., searching for a cause to explain Tuesday evening’s dramatic downtown fire.

“As bad as this was, it’s going to take a while to determine a cause,” said Terre Haute Fire Department Chief Jeff Fisher.

The smell of burnt rubber was still in the air late Wednesday as far away as the Long John Silver’s restaurant on Ohio Street’s north side. Glass and filth lay in the streets lined with yellow police tape around the block surrounding Modesitt Law Offices.

Workers at a neighboring law firm, Wilkinson, Goeller, Modesitt Wilkinson and Drummy LLP, at 333 Ohio St., were counting their blessings.

Spokesmen said minimal water damage impacted their offices and, fortunately, the sprinkler system did not activate inside.

Other businesses were not so lucky.

Amy Long, a loan officer with Sycamore Lending Group, said “not really” when asked if anything was left of her office at 321 Ohio St., Suite 5. Customers can call (812) 235-4236 with questions as to when the company will have a new location, she said, guessing it will be a few days.

Jeff Bell, owner of FTC Dish, also in the building, said marks in his office indicated water had been standing at least three feet deep. Firefighters poured water into the building from aerial positions throughout Tuesday night.

“Water damage mostly,” he said, noting they managed to save a few satellite dishes.

Bell said he was at home when the fire started about 5 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. A family member ran outside and said they saw on the news that his building was ablaze. He arrived on the scene about 6 p.m. and said he remained most of the night.

Bell said his office’s phone number of (812) 478-5102 is being forwarded to his cell phone until a new location can be found.

Also housed in the building of Vigo County Prosecutor Terry Modesitt’s private officers were Allied Abstract and Title Co., Conley Real Estate Appraisals and the Frey Law Firm.

Fisher noted the American Red Cross provided water and food to firefighters throughout the night as nearly every member of the department was on the scene at some point. “The Red Cross is great to us,” he said.

“I left about 12:15 this morning,” he added, noting firefighters remained throughout the night only to discover more hot spots this morning. “I haven’t even started to count,” he said when asked how many firefighters attended the fire.

Volunteers from Otter Creek, Sugar Creek and Honey Creek manned the Terre Haute Fire Department stations throughout the event, “which came in handy because we had a second fire come in about 8 p.m.,” he said, referencing a structure fire on Second Avenue.

Fisher recalled the paper mill fire on Indiana 63, the warehouse fire on Chestnut Street and the fire at Ellis Law Offices on Wabash Avenue as the biggest blazes in recent years.

“This is right up there with it,” he said. “But it’s not the biggest.”

According to tax information available on the Vigo County Web site, the block of buildings known as 319 through 327 Ohio Street was built about 1910 and is deeded to the Trustees of Terry R. and Karen K. Modesitt.

Modesitt opened his private practice there in 1985.



Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.

     

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