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GARY, IND. – On Thursday evening, the City of Gary Fire Department successfully extinguished a large commercial fire at the Family Dollar, located in the 1400 block of Massachusetts Avenue in Downtown Gary. Upon arrival, Gary firefighters immediately began battling the blaze. Due to the size and nature of the fire, Chief Larry Tillman took decisive action to call in mutual aid from neighboring fire departments in Merrillville, Portage, Griffith, and Lake Ridge.
At 9 PM, the building was declared unsafe, and an emergency partial demolition was authorized, due to an explosion that compromised the structural integrity of the building and made it unsafe for public safety officers to enter. The City of Gary called in ARMOR D2, a demolition contractor, to manage the emergency demolition of the unstable exterior walls which endangered neighboring residences to the east and threatened to fall into the street. Once on site, at approximately 12am, ARMOR D2 assessed the scene and began the demolition process, working in collaboration with the Gary Fire Department to address all hazardous conditions.
By 5 AM on Friday, October 18th, all mutual aid companies had been released, while the Gary Fire Department remained on-site to monitor and secure any hot spots as the demolition was completed.
Chief Tillman stated, “I am incredibly proud of our firefighters and their exceptional performance during this incident. Their effective execution ensured the safety of our community, with no injuries reported. The seamless coordination with our mutual aid partners allowed us to efficiently contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. This operation showcases the importance of the training, skill, and resilience of our emergency response teams, highlighting their ability to manage complex situations under pressure.”
"I am pleased with the swift and coordinated response by our Gary Fire Department and the mutual aid teams from surrounding municipalities," said Mayor Eddie Melton. "This incident highlights the importance of collaboration in times of crisis. We will continue to support the investigation and recovery efforts to ensure the well-being of our residents and businesses.”
Gary public safety officials remain on site to ensure the property owner adheres to safety regulations and to secure the site for proper debris disposal. Additionally, NIPSCO is working to secure all gas and electrical infrastructure. The Gary Fire Department is collaborating with Homeland Security to investigate the cause of the fire.
Media Contact:
Erika Blackwell, Chief Communications Officer, City of Gary
cell: (219) 292-1251
Kevin Benford
Public Information Officer, Gary Fire Department
