Firefighters battle a major blaze at the Walmart Distribution Center in Plainfield, Indiana near Indianapolis on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Indianapolis Fire Department
March 17 (UPI) — A large fire that ravaged a Walmart distribution center in suburban Indianapolis on Wednesday continued to burn on Thursday as investigators try to determine what started the blaze in the massive building. Some 1,000 Walmart employees were inside the building in Plainfield, about 30 minutes from downtown Indianapolis when the fire started, Plainfield deputy police chief Joe Alridge said. Authorities did not report any injuries in connection with the fire, but authorities heard various explosions coming from the building as the fire burned.
“ATF is doing some interviews with some employees that were on-site and in the area of the fire,” Plainfield Fire Chief Brent Anderson said, according to the Indianapolis Star. “Right now we have no idea what may have started this (and) no reason to believe it’s suspicious or anything. We will do our due diligence over the next coming days or weeks to figure that out.”
Smoke from the fire rose above 11,000 feet and could be detected by weather satellite images, according to the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Fire Department said 18 fire agencies participated in trying to put out the blaze at the 1.2-million square foot building.
“Thankfully all of the employees working inside the building evacuated okay and are accounted for,” the department said on Facebook. “Please keep the safety of the firefighters in your thoughts as they continue to get this fire under control.”
