INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Fire Department responded to a vacant apartment fire on the city's northeast side Thursday afternoon.
Shortly before 12:30 p.m. on July 6, IFD received a call about a large apartment fire at 5070 Roselawn Ave., near North Emerson Avenue and 40th Street. Smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.
According to IFD, the The Courtyards at Roselawn Park apartment complex was vacant and boarded up at the time of the fire. IFD said a large amount of junk, debris and trash in the parking lot on three sides of the building briefly blocked firefighters' access to the building.
It took firefighters over an hour to bring the blaze under control.
IFD reported four firefighters were slightly injured, with three sustaining heat-related injuries and another falling through the floor. The firefighter who fell through the floor was transported to Methodist Hospital to be checked out.
Fire investigators are still trying to determine what might have started the fire.
"It is a huge threat to the safety of our firefighters. It's an abandoned structure that doesn't need to be occupied by anyone, including squatters or people with ulterior motives," said Rita Reith, IFD public information officer.
IFD said this was the second large fire on the property within the last 60 days, with the previous incident happening May 3.