Crews battled a commercial barn fire in New Carlisle, not far from the St. Joseph/LaPorte County line. A WSBT-TV photographer on scene reported hearing explosions coming from the buildings.
Assistant Fire Chief Middlebrook died from injuries sustained when the roof of a burning commercial storage building collapsed on him and another firefighter on Tuesday August 5, 2014. A second firefighter sustained a broken ankle and minor burns. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the State of Indiana Fire Marshal’s office.
Two large explosions occurred just before 10:30 pm. There were no fire hydrants at the scene; tenders brought water to the scene. before the fire was finally brought under control Wednesday morning.
Incident Location: 5885 N. 800 E, New Carlisle, IN (near US 20).
BREAKING UPDATE: Firefighter killed last night was New Carlisle Asst. Chief Jamie Middlebrook https://t.co/TPvh3oNXtj pic.twitter.com/30SnEpDrea
— WSBT (@WSBT) August 6, 2014
Fire truck & police escort bring body of fallen firefighter Jamie Middlebrook back to a funeral home in South Bend. pic.twitter.com/M61uGjYLxU
— WSBT (@WSBT) August 7, 2014
Heartbreaking. Photo by LaPorte County Paramedic. The scene last night after a fire fighter died in New Carlisle. pic.twitter.com/svzLbuecFp
— Kristin Bien (@KristinBienWSBT) August 6, 2014
Two big explosions just happened at scene of fire in New Carlisle pic.twitter.com/YVxwP8kkZn
— Gabby Gonzalez (@Gabby_Gonzalez) August 6, 2014
Another pic of the K-Fex business fire in New Carlisle. Taken earlier by Ali Ritchie. pic.twitter.com/cShqPRbZbO
— WSBT (@WSBT) August 6, 2014
