8:40 a.m Thursday update
One man was taken to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition following a house fire in Bargersville Wednesday afternoon.
First responders were called to a home on the 6600 block of Travis Road around 4:34 p.m. Wednesday to investigate reports of smoke. The home has a Greenwood zip code but is within Bargersville limits.
Shortly after the call first came in, it was updated to a residence fire. Upon arrival, crews reported seeing heavy black smoke coming from the 6,000-square-foot home, according to the Bargersville Community Fire Department.
Firefighters entered the home to try to put out the fire, but after 10 minutes they were ordered to evacuate due to the fire becoming larger and a lack of sustained water supply, fire department officials said. The closest fire hydrant was over half-mile away, said Mike Pruitt, deputy fire chief.
Additional first responders arrived on the scene and set up tanker operations, laying out nearly 3,000 feet of a water supply line from Travis Road. Crews were eventually able to get water access from a nearby pond, however, this created delays in getting enough water to fight the fire, according to a Bargersville Fire news release.
Once firefighters had a solid water supply, they were able to bring the fire under control about 45 minutes later. During the fire, crews also encountered multiple explosions and were hampered by a narrow drive into the home, officials said.
While crews were fighting the fire, Bargersville Police found the homeowner in an area behind the residence. He appeared to have sustained injuries from the fire, and was transported to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition, officials said.
The man’s identity has not been released. Firefighters were able to account for all family members who reside at the home, according to the news release.
No firefighters were injured during the incident, officials said.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The home was valued at approximately $800,000, and it, along with the contents inside, were deemed a total loss, the news release said.
First responders from the Greenwood and White River Township fire departments assisted, with the Amity, Green Township, Morgantown, Needham, Nineveh and Trafalgar fire departments providing water tanker support, according to the news release.
Original story from Wednesday
One man was taken to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition following a house fire in Bargersville Wednesday afternoon.
First responders were called to a home on the 6600 block of Travis Road around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday for a reported residence fire. Upon arrival, crews reported seeing heavy black smoke coming from the home, according to the Bargersville Community Fire Department.
One man, who was found outside of the home, was taken to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition, said Mike Pruitt, deputy fire chief. The man’s identity has not been released.
Firefighters accounted for all family members who reside at the home, including the owner.
Crews were able to bring the fire under control as of 6:18 p.m, and are expected to be at the home for a while, Pruitt said.
While fighting the fire, crews encountered multiple explosions and were hampered by a narrow drive into the home, the department said. Poor water access was also a factor, as the closest fire hydrant was over half-mile away, Pruitt said.
Firefighters were eventually able to get access to water from a nearby pond, he said.
First responders from the Greenwood, Trafalgar and White River Township fire departments are assisting on scene, while crews from Trafalgar and Green Township in Morgan County are assisting with covering calls within the Bargersville Fire coverage area, Pruitt said.
This story will be updated when more details become available.
