Elkhart Forest River Plant off CR 15 goes up in flames; crews say building is total loss
ELKHART — Crews battled a massive blaze at Forest River Plant 59 off County Road 15 Tuesday.
The scene looked a whole lot different this afternoon.
Watch footage below:
Flames overtook the entire Forest River Plant in Elkhart, smoke quickly erupting into the air that could be seen from miles away.
Within four minutes of the initial 911 call, crews were on the scene seeing fire through the roof of the building.
“All of a sudden you see the flames pop through the ceiling, all over the place,” said Randy Smith, who lives in the area. “They just kept squirting water on it.”
More than 40 firefighters battling the fire working to keep it contained.
The fire was caused from an explosion; witnesses say they heard several loud bangs.
Five or six employees were still in the building, and luckily, they escaped before it was too late.
“They heard it through the front of the building and by the time our units were set up, the fire had spread throughout the entire structure,” said Chief Chad Carey, Elkhart Fire Department.
The entire building is gone.
“The building was all there when I came over,” said Smith. “Now it’s all tore up and gone.”
The plant manager spoke to investigators and told them between 50 and 60 people were laid off and out of the building by noon.
Thankfully, everyone made it out alive.
