Terre Haute Fire Department responds to business blaze

By Lucy Perry 
Indiana Central News

Five people were inside a business located near Honey Creek Mall in Terre Haute this afternoon when they evacuated due to smoke in the builing.

Upon the arrival of Terre Haute Fire Department crews just after 4 p.m, flames were shooting out of the roof at Backyard Leisure. A short time later, the roof collapsed, according to scanner traffic. The building sustained heavy damage.

An employee of Backyard Leisure, Josh Michaels, said that before the fire, an unusual smell was detected in the office. About an hour later, power was lost in the business. He said when they reset the breaker, they saw " quite a bit of smoke, and called 911."

With a heat advisory in effect for the area, the outside temperature was in the 90s as crews battled the blaze.

The fire remains under investigation at this time.