LaPorte Fire Department continues to investigate storage facility fire

LAPORTE ― The cause of a fire that destroyed more than 40 storage units and their contents was still under investigation Monday in LaPorte.

LaPorte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said uncovering the source of the Thursday night blaze might be difficult because of the extent of the damage.

“There was so much devastation and intensity from the fire; we’ll do our best to make a determination,” he said.

The fire was contained to one of nine buildings at Infinite Self Storage, 1310 W. 18th Street, near Indiana 39 on the city’s southwest side.

What’s next?City, county at odds over LaPorte Corridor route for trucks.

Lynn Grenough was among the people thankful to have renters insurance to cover what they lost in their burned up storage units.

Her family rented two of the destroyed units containing furniture and other belongings salvaged from their house after it was damaged by fire in November 2020.

She said her units also contained a lot of new furnishings purchased to replace the items lost in the residential blaze.

Grenough described having a sick feeling to her stomach while assessing the damage.

“I’m in shock,” she said.

She said her family is living in a rental home until a settlement is reached on their fire-damaged home at Rustic Hills subdivision between La Porte and Michigan City.

Grenough said the storage units were used because their rental home came partially furnished and didn’t have space for all of their belongings.

Outdoor Adventures:Urban paddle and pedal plans in LaPorte, with ADA launch on Stone Lake

Snyder said two firefighters were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation and heat-related exhaustion.

Firefighters responded after 8 p.m. and were on the scene for about eight hours.

Snyder said the fire was very challenging to put out because each unit was like an oven holding in heat until the doors on each unit were opened or holes cut in the roof above each unit to get water on the flames.

“It was just a complete inferno in each of the rooms,” he said.

Off-duty firefighters were called to relieve firefighters who became exhausted quicker than usual because of the intensity of the heat and greater effort required to put out the flames.

“The firefighters were quite tasked,” he said.

Snyder said the heat also set off some ammunition stored inside the roughly 200-foot-long and 60-foot-wide building.

He said most of the contents appeared to be things such as clothing, furniture and other typical personal belongings.

Snyder said the investigation will include looking at surveillance video of the storage units to see if any images exist that might provide clues on how the fire started.

He said there were problems in the past with people living in the units, but the property owner indicated nobody was living there before the fire.

Snyder said it was the responsibility of the renters to have their belongings insured.

Attorney Doug Biege of LaPorte said storage unit owners, like landlords of a home, don’t typically provide insurance for other people’s belongings.

However, storage unit owners are not out of the woods financially, though, if any blame is placed on them for a renter’s damage claim.

Biege said renters making a claim are usually paid first by their insurance companies, which then seek reimbursement if someone is deemed responsible for their client’s loss.

He said a determination is then made if the individual at fault has insurance before any attempt can be made to negotiate a settlement.

“If his policy would cover it, then it becomes a dispute between insurance carriers if they disagree,” Biege said.