Other / Not Specified, Other Business Elkhart, IN – Fire in wood shop extinguished with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported March 6, 2019 viking210 Elkhart fire investigators determined a fire at an area business on Saturday was accidental in nature. According to a press release, fire crews were called to the scene of a structure fire in Elkhart Saturday morning. Dispatch received the call at approximately 8 a.m. regarding a fire at 610 W. Crawford Street. Units upon arrival discovered a working fire alarm and the east end of the “L” shaped building covered in thick smoke. As firefighters made their way through the building they noticed a sprinkler head in the ‘wood shop area’ of the building had activated. A thermal imaging camera was used by firefighters which showed heat coming from the floor of the room. As firefighters approached the heated area, one firefighter exposed a burning fire in the crawl space below the floor. Fire crews extinguished the blaze at approximately 9:27 a.m. Officials say the fire had burned through joists in the floor for a period of time before the sprinkler had activated. No injuries were reported. A preliminary investigation revealed pieces of smoldering wood from a woodworking area had become lodged in the cracks of the wood floor allowing conditions which ignited joists in the floor.
