Smoke from Massive Southern Indiana Warehouse Fire Spotted Miles Away by Residents in Surrounding Counties [PHOTOS]

Before the sun rose in Evansville Monday morning, firefighters were on the scene of a massive warehouse fire downtown that sent towering flames and a huge cloud of thick, black smoke into the sky spotted by southern Indiana and western Kentucky residents as far as 30 miles away.

Massive Warehouse Fire Breaks Out in Downtown Evansville Early Monday Morning

According to our media partner, Eyewitness News, firefighters from both the Evansville and Henderson Fire Departments arrived on the scene just before 5:00 AM after Central Dispatch received a number of calls about the blaze from residents in the surrounding neighborhood. It was later revealed the structure on fire was the Morton Avenue Warehouse at the intersection of East Illinois and North Morton Avenue roughly a block north of the Lloyd Expressway near the interchange of the Lloyd and Highway 41.

As the morning went on, the blaze did impact residents' morning commute as the Indiana Department of Transportation announced partial closures of the Lloyd and Highway 41 as firefighters fought to keep the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings.

Shortly after 9:00 AM, nearly five hours after responding to the scene, Evansville Fire Department District Chief Mike Larson announced the fire was contained and under control. The only parts of the warehouse left standing are a few walls that will ultimately be torn down.

The fire generated so much heat and smoke at one point, it was picked up by both the National Weather Service radars, and by Eyewitness News Doppler Radar.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire, and while it has been contained, District Chief Larson says crews are still battling hot spots and will likely be on-site for 24 hours to make sure the fire has been completely extinguished. An investigation into the cause of the fire will begin once it is determined to be safe to begin inspection however, Larson told Mike Pickett with Eyewitness News it may be days before a cause can be determined if one can be determined at all.

[Source: Eyewitness News]