Fire Destroys Lazer X, Closes Road Near Glenbrook Mall
FORT WAYNE — Fire crews battled a structure fire at Lazer X on Fernhill Avenue, just south of the Glenbrook Square Mall, early today, Nov. 5
Fort Wayne Fire crews were called around 8 a.m. to the building, at 244 Fernhill Ave., and arrived to find smoke rising from the structure.
Assistant Fire Chief Adam O’Connor told NewsChannel 15 crews initially tried to go into the building but backed off due to heavy smoke. At that point, O’Connor said more crews were called in for support.
The department called in five tankers and three of its five ladder trucks due to the severity of the fire, O’Connor said.
Firefighters used a “defensive attack” to fight the blaze, spraying water from high above the three-story building down on it. The fire appeared to be most active toward the building’s rear.
Within an hour, a rear wall collapsed, then a side wall. O’Connor said he expected the roof to collapse, as well. It is likely to be a total loss.
Crews deemed the blaze under control around 10 a.m. — two hours after it sparked.
As firefighters fought the fire, smoke could be seen from miles away, and was at times nearly black. O’Connor said the dark smoke likely was a result of the plastic materials inside the maze-like facility, which he called “perfect fuel for a fire.”
That plastic material has also forced city utilities to the scene, which plugged nearby drains to avoid the plastic-product-contaminated water from draining into the city’s water supply.
O’Connor said it’s not yet clear what caused the fire, and that will be difficult to determine due to its magnitude, he added.
The building was empty at the time of the fire, O’Connor said. The business does not open until 11 a.m., according to its website.
Source: WANE