Published: October 02, 2008 10:13 am         

Fire destroys Wakarusa RV business

WAKARUSA, Ind. — A Wakarusa building caught fire late Wednesday afternoon, slightly injuring one firefighter and resulting in significant damage to two businesses.

According to Wakarusa Fire Chief Brian Maurer, firefighters were called to 1025 E. Waterford St., near Ind. 19, at approximately 5 p.m.

“It took us about an hour to an hour and a 15 minutes to get it under control,” Maurer said of the blaze. “It started up high in the ceiling area and went up into the attic, and it just kept creeping northward.

“We ended up having to do trench cuts across the roof in order to stop it,” he said.

The building, formerly the Wakarusa Farm Center, is occupied by Hart Housing Group and Liven Lite RV, a plant that just moved to the area from Goshen and was set to begin production Friday.

“The back part of the businesses were a total loss,” Maurer said. “It was a pretty substantial loss to those two businesses.”

As to a cost estimate for the building, Maurer said it is too early to tell.

“It’s quite a bit, but I’d hate to speculate at this time,” Maurer said.

According to Scott Tuttle, owner of Liven Lite on the south end of the building, the fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical problem. Tuttle said that his business appears to be “destroyed” and firefighters worked to prevent the fire from spreading into Hart Housing Group business in the building. The north end of the building sustained smoke and water damage.

While fighting the blaze, Maurer indicated that a firefighter received a cut to the face, but was otherwise not seriously injured.

“That was after the original report was made,” Maurer said, noting that the exact cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

The Wakarusa department was assisted by the Baugo, Harrison, Foraker, Nappanee and Elkhart Township fire departments.