1 found dead, another severely burned, one firefighter injured at Carmel strip mall fire

VIDEO: One person was found dead, another was seriously injured and a firefighter suffered minor injuries in a fire at a Carmel strip mall early Thursday. Around 3:15 a.m. May 9, Carmel Police Department officers responded to a welfare check in the 9800 block of North Michigan Road, just north of West 96th Street. Officers arrived and found a female in the street yelling for help and severely burned, Carmel Fire Department spokesperson Tim Griffin told 13News. A fire was discovered at a strip mall nearby, and fire crews arrived to find heavy fire coming through the roof of the building. Crews worked for an extended period to knock down the fire, pulling out of the building at one point after the ceiling collapsed. A male victim was found dead inside the building. The female victim was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis.
WTHR-TV NBC 13 Indianapolis

Cass County First Responders to Receive Lithium Ion Battery Safety Training

Cass County bolsters its emergency response capabilities with a new training initiative focused on lithium ion battery safety. The Cass County Emergency Management Agency announced a $6,450 funding boost from Duke Energy to enhance area public safety in handling lithium ion batteries and other hazardous materials. A specialized training session is scheduled for June 21, providing first responders with hands-on techniques to manage battery emergencies safely. According to the agency, the training, held at the Local Emergency Planning Committee, builds on last year’s efforts and introduces advanced methods to deal with potential battery incidents in vehicles and larger industrial setups. Participants will also explore energy storage solutions that utilize lithium ion technology.
Country Herald

Tree crashes onto family’s house, splits chimney during storms in Chesterton

VIDEO: A Northwest Indiana family was counting their blessings Tuesday night after a massive tree landed right on their house during the afternoon storms. The tree was uprooted and landed on the house where Melissa Bergner and her family live in Chesterton. "My husband yelled, 'Babe, tree!' and next thing you know, you heard it hit," Bergner said. The tree crushed the aluminum siding on the chimney, exposing the wood frame and pink insulation fiber to the street. "It was the biggest tree - and my favorite tree," Bergner said, "but yeah, it's a very large tree." By the time she stepped on the deck, Bergner could not believe her eyes, with that tree that she adored most in her backyard having split her chimney open.
WBBM-TV CBS 2 Chicago

One person found dead after fire in Gibson County

Authorities say they found a body inside a burning home in Gibson County on Tuesday. First responders were called to a fire at a home on Keneipp Road in Owensville around 11 a.m. Firefighters with the Owensville-Montgomery Township Fire Department were able to extinguish the blaze within minutes, but one person was found dead inside. Investigators set up a perimeter and contacted the State Fire Marshal and other agencies for investigation. Authorities tell 44News they obtained a search warrant to process the scene. Officials tell 44News this is normal procedure and doesn't indicate foul play. “In an over-abundance of caution, we set up a perimeter and decided to follow the standard operating procedures and protocols for a death investigation of an unknown cause,” says Gibson County Sheriff Bruce Vanoven.
WEVV-TV CBS/FOX/MyNetworkTV 44 Evansville

Firefighter suffers minor injury while battling blaze at Fort Wayne house

A Fort Wayne firefighter suffered a “minor” injury Tuesday while crews battled a house fire off Coliseum Boulevard. The Fort Wayne Fire Department (FWFD) responded to a house fire in the 1600 block of Lincolndale Avenue and arrived to find fire coming from the front door and windows. The house suffered heavy fire, water and smoke damage as a result of the fire, according to the FWFD. Nobody was inside the house during the fire, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
WANE-TV CBS 15 Fort Wayne