
At the Pike’s Mattress fire, 60 firefighters were on scene and some even stayed overnight suppressing hot spots. According to the Evansville Fire Department there were also 13 apparatus.
The fire was reported at 4:09 pm on Saturday, September 14. Fire operations concluded at 3:00 pm on Sunday Sept. 15.
EFD Dep. Chief Kim Garrett said the State Fire Marshal’s office is still investigating the cause.
“They are still conducting interviews of the owners, occupants and nearby people to see if they can garner any more information as to how the fire may have started,” Garrett said, adding that this can take a significant amount of time.
She described the firefighting strategy to be “surround and drown,” because it was so intense. Protecting nearby buildings was the only option.
Still, there was damage to the adjacent Benthall Brothers Wholesaler.
The three-story Pike’s building is a total loss — only a few days after celebrating a grand re-opening.
Unlike some past warehouse fires in Evansville this warehouse was in use, producing and then storing mattresses.
Garrett said burning materials are always a public health concern regarding inhalation — but the fire was very hot taking the smoke straight up into the air.
She says mattresses are considered to be a “medium hazard” to air quality.
“It also depends on the age of the mattress, the style of the mattress, the components of the mattress all factor in,” Garrett said.
Memory foam produced the black smoke seen coming from the fire.
She says it was the heat that temporarily hospitalized three firefighters, adding that the interior of a burning building could be 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. There were no deaths or severe injuries.
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