A fire early Tuesday destroyed Lake Station’s Central Center, sending two firefighters to an area hospital.
Fire Chief Chuck Fazekas said his department got the call about 12:30 a.m. and sent four ladder trucks to battle the spreading blaze. More help was soon required and he said 14 area fire departments responded from as far as Lowell.
The shopping mall houses about 12 businesses. Only Norton’s, a bar on the far east side, was able to reopen Tuesday. The rest were charred and gutted.
“We could never get ahead of it,” said Fazekas who called the building’s bowstring truss design a dangerous one that’s prone to collapsing. The fire quickly spread into the building’s attic area.
He said the fire put a strain on the city’s water system, so other area fire departments with tankers provided mutual aid.
The fire was finally under control by 4:30 a.m., Fazekas said. He estimated damages “in the millions.” He said the businesses all had smoke detectors, but there wasn’t a sprinkler system.
One Lake Station firefighter suffered from dehydration and was hospitalized. Another firefighter also was dehydrated but was treated and released from an area hospital, Fazekas said.
Business owners huddled outside the shopping center under a steady drizzle Tuesday morning, wondering what happened.
“We got a call at 1 a.m.,” said Nancy Guzman, who owns Nancy’s Café. She said she’s been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at the site for nearly seven years.
The shopping center is owned by Dan Gentile, an Illinois businessman.
“I’m hoping he rebuilds, Lake Station needs small businesses,” said Guzman.
Nearby, Rakan Issa, the manager of Boost Mobile, said his business just opened eight months ago. His father, Sam Issa, owns the King Plate sandwich shop next store.
The fire’s origin is still under investigation, Fazekas said.
Fire agencies that helped Lake Station were: Gary, Lowell, New Chicago, Hobart, Merrillville, Lake Dale, Crown Point, Lake Hills, South Haven, Portage, Lakes of the Four Seasons, Boone Grove, Union Township and Liberty Township.
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
