Here's what we know about the latest warehouse fire in Evansville

Jon Webb, Evansville Courier & Press
·4 min read

EVANSVILLE – Three days after a fire engulfed yet another Evansville warehouse, officials were still on scene, even as torrential rain fell on the site.

According to a news release from Evansville Fire Department spokesman Mike Larson, several agencies met at the warehouse to discuss how to move forward with the investigation, which is expected to start in earnest on Wednesday.

There have been no reported injuries, and no information has been released as to what could have possibly started the blaze in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of North Garvin Street.

Here's what we know about the fire so far.

Evansville Fire Department personnel continue to put water on the hot spots Monday afternoon at a four-alarm fire that broke out in a warehouse in the 1400 block of North Garvin Street Saturday morning, Dec. 31, 2022.
Evansville Fire Department personnel continue to put water on the hot spots Monday afternoon at a four-alarm fire that broke out in a warehouse in the 1400 block of North Garvin Street Saturday morning, Dec. 31, 2022.

Who is investigating?

A bevy of local, state and federal offices have responded to the scene, Larson said: the EFD; the Evansville Police Department; the Evansville-Vanderburgh Emergency Management Agency; the Indiana State Fire Marshal; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which also responded to another giant Evansville warehouse fire in October.

The state fire marshal's office will lead the investigation, with EFD and EPD assisting, Larson said.

At EFD's request, central dispatch declined to release 911 calls and run cards connected to the fire until the investigation begins.

Who owns the building? And what was inside it?

According to the Indiana Secretary of State's office, the building is owned through Garvin Street Warehouse LLC: a limited liability company. Its registered agent was listed as Stewart Klipsch. The Courier & Press left a message with Klipsch on Tuesday morning.

Property taxes on the building were last paid in May, according to assessor records.

The warehouse was previously owned by Faultless Caster (or "castor"), which moved into the city in 1913 to be "close to what was, at the time, one of the world’s leading centers for furniture production," the company website states.

Like its name says, the company made casters – the small, pivoting wheels on office chairs – and was a major employer in the city before leaving town in the early 2000s. Faultless sold the warehouse to Garvin Street Warehouse LLC in 2006 for a little more than $2 million, assessor records state.

The warehouse has since been used as rental space for industrial storage. According to a real estate ad in a 2006 edition of the Courier & Press, it offered more than 95,000 square feet for rent.

The building itself was much larger, however. In a news release, Larson said more than 260,000 square feet burned overall.

Not much is known about what was inside the building when it caught fire – or what Evansville residents were breathing in. During a news conference Wednesday, Larson said the only thing he knew the warehouse stored for sure were trailers of "plastic pellets." He didn't elaborate beyond that.

On Saturday, EFD encouraged people living in the immediate area to keep their windows and doors sealed.

"This smoke is not healthy to breathe," Larson said.

Several neighbors and onlookers stood near the site and watched the building burn.

Residents watch the massive fire at a North Garvin Street warehouse on Dec. 31, 2022 in Evansville.
Residents watch the massive fire at a North Garvin Street warehouse on Dec. 31, 2022 in Evansville.

What's the estimated damage?

On Tuesday morning, the ATF tweeted that the damage at the site is estimated to be around $20 million.

Has anyone been arrested?

No. On Saturday, Evansville Watch posted on its Facebook page that "two homeless subjects are being detained as possible arson suspects."

But according to EPD spokeswoman Sgt. Anna Gray, that was a miscommunication. She said EFD saw people standing around watching the fire and simply asked police to question them about what they saw.

No one has been arrested or named as a suspect, and no one involved in the investigation to this point has said the fire was an arson.

How did the fire start? And what about the other warehouse fire?

That hasn't been determined, at least not publicly.

If another nearby warehouse fire is any indication, a cause may not be released for a while. The old Morton Avenue warehouse – former site of the historic Hercules Buggy Company – ignited on Oct. 17, and investigators still haven't released a cause for that.

Is the fire still going?

Over the weekend, Larson said several firefighters would remain on scene for days to put out hotspots.

The initial blaze eventually raged into a four-alarm fire, causing EFD to call in units from other counties to help extinguish the flames.

Soon after it was reported on Saturday, the fire kicked up a giant funnel of black smoke that covered large swaths of the city and darkened the light well before dusk. Nate Boyett, who lives nearby, said the air smelled like "road tar."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Here's hat we know about the latest warehouse fire in Evansville