INDIANAPOLIS — 16 adults and 9 children are without shelter Friday night after a fire broke out near an apartment complex on the north side of Indianapolis.
According to the Indianapolis Fire Department, crews were called around 4:50 p.m. to the 9300 block of Racquet Club Drive, near I-465 and Ditch Road on the city’s far north side, for a fire.
Upon arrival, IFD said residents told crews they had called 911 after seeing that a pile of mulch next to the apartment building had caught fire. The residents then evacuated their units, IFD said.
IFD said that the fire then quickly took hold of the apartment building and that it rapidly spread up and into the attic. Within 35 minutes, IFD said crews had marked the fire as under control.
While IFD did not mention any firefighter injuries, they did confirm that one apartment resident suffered a slight injury while evacuating.
With the number of units that were affected by fire, water and smoke, IFD said that a total of 16 adults and 9 children were displaced by the blaze.
“IFD’s Victims Assistance is working with apartment management for shelter,” IFD said in a tweet.
The department also added that both Pike Township and Carmel Fire Department crews assisted in fighting the blaze. After investigation, it was indeed determined that a fire on a nearby mulch pile was to blame for the spreading flames.