ELKHARDT, Ind. - Thirteen fire departments unsuccessfully tried to douse a massive blaze at Indiana-based Cana Cabinetry last Wednesday. The building was a total loss for Cana.
The blaze was exasperated by the cold and by the area's lack of fire hydrants. Water had to be trucked in by fire departments.
“The closest hydrant is approximately 2,500 feet away," Cleveland's fire chief Rich Newman told local news. "We had to set up relay pumpers to get water up here, as well as drop port-o-tanks."
“We had a warming station that the crews would be working so long and then they would have to go back to the warming station, get a bite to eat, some hot coffee, stuff like that,” said Newman.
Cana Cabinetry operates two manufacturing plants - one destroyed by the fire and one still operational. Employees will be able to keep their jobs. Company officials are working to relocate them to the other facility.
The cause of the fire remains a mystery, but employees say a 50-gallon container of cabinet lacquer most likely fueled the blaze.
Two firefighters were injured: one with a sprained knee and one with frostbitten feet.
Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.