Mishawaka warehouse left unsalvageable following fire, video catches lightning strike moments before blaze
MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- The Mishawaka warehouse that caught fire on Tuesday evening on McKinley Ave is unsalvageable.
Crews battled the fierce flames right behind the Blue Lantern restaurant for hours, and luckily nobody was injured. Surveillance camera footage from Big C Lumber across the street captures what appears to be a lightning bolt striking the roof of the building and smoke shortly following, before the moments the massive fire broke out.
Mishawaka fire officials still haven't officially confirmed whether lightning was the cause of blame due to the ongoing investigation. "It was definitely a thought in my head that maybe it could've been my job," says Bryce Stone, a Big C Lumber Inside Salesman.
The warehouse stored inventory for AAA Mattress and Furniture, a local business with a storefront down the road.
NIPSCO tells ABC57, part of the facility is operated by a third-party contractor supporting its automated metering infrastructure.
Fire officials on scene Tuesday told ABC57, there were a few thousand lithium batteries inside as well, and that could be the cause of this popping noise many residents reported hearing. "You hear all, you hear sounds like fireworks," said Jack Hegland, a witness to the fire Tuesday.
People reported seeing and smelling the smoke even miles away from where the fire happened. "I was driving actually on Bittersweet all the way out in Granger and saw this billowing smoke," Stone recalls.
"I was just hanging out with my girlfriend, walking around all the way at Notre Dame, and I smelled very strong smoke," tells Logan Kelly, another witness.
South Bend Fire Department Assistant Chief of Fire Prevention Derek Erquhart says their station even received calls about it.
"There was a lot of subsequent phone calls about it after the fact or while the fire was going on," Erquhart says. "Depending on weather condition, smoke could be going straight up and dissipating into the sky, other times depending on the weather some of that smoke can hang really low, traveling into the other neighborhoods. So, if a fire does happen close to you, just be aware of what's going on, close your windows, try not to be breathing in that smoke."
The warehouse fire could potentially mark the third fire caused by lightning in Michiana in just the past three weeks.
"It seems like we've been hit over the last few weeks," Erquhart says. "Particularly the one in South Bend a few weeks ago, it seems like right after that our neighbors to the north Clay Fire Territory responded on one, and most recently potentially the Mishawaka incident."
In the past six years, South Bend Fire responded to 21 incidents from lightning strikes that caused damage; only nine of those were building fires.
While mother nature is unpredictable, and there's not much you can do to protect your home from a lightning strike, Erquhart says it's smart to unplug any necessary electronics when a storm rolls through, have surge protectors, and try to be home when severe weather strikes.
"We don't know when or where lightning is going to strike, but if you're home, you hear something you feel something, you're probably going to know if it was close or hit your home, to be there and be aware and look for those signs," Erquhart advises.
The store manager at AAA Mattress and Furniture told ABC57 they are still able to serve the community; they have other inventory elsewhere, and those trucks are rolling in as soon as Wednesday. NIPSCO also said the fire won't impact their 'work continuity efforts'.