Emerson School (Photo by Ted Brown)
Gary’s Fire Chief Mark Terry released this statement on the fire that caused considerable damage to Emerson High School on Saturday, December 9 and not contained until early Sunday morning.
“The Gary Fire Department responded last night at 9:45pm to a fire at the abandoned Emerson High School, 716 E. 7th Avenue. The Emerson Building is a 4-story, 250’x185’ brick structure originally constructed in 1908.
“The building was closed in 2008 when the Emerson School for Visual and Performing Arts was relocated into the former Kennedy King Middle School Building. The building has been unused since that time. The property was transferred to the Gary Housing Authority in December of 2020. There were no active utility connections to the building.
“Fire Crews arrived within 3 minutes and found heavy fire conditions in the roof and attic space above the 3rd floor, rapidly spreading across the entire width of the structure. Winds out of the West at 20 mph aided the flame spread. Firefighters entered the structure to begin an assessment of the fire and to search for possible victims.
“With flames advancing, firefighters were pulled out and an exterior attack with elevated master streams began. Incident command requested a Second Alarm and requested 2 additional mutual aid truck companies to assist. A total of 15 pieces of fire apparatus responded to the scene including aerial truck companies from the Towns of Merrillville and Munster.
“In addition, the American Red Cross provided Canteen and Rehab services for firefighters working on the scene.
“Fire suppression efforts were hampered due to concrete barricades blocking access to the rear (north) side of the structure and heavy equipment was called to the scene to remove those. Once removed, an elevated stream was placed on the north side of the structure to reach flames out of reach by companies in the front.
“I was saddened when I arrived on the scene to see such devastating damage to Emerson. This building contains so much history to so many of us in Gary. I have many fond memories here, having attended many events when my son was a student here.
“The birthplace of our modern educational system was started right here, and this school was the first school in the country to have a swimming pool. There have been so many famous alumni that roamed these halls.
“The fire was contained within several hours and mostly extinguished by 3 a.m. Companies began to return to service by 4 a.m. A cause and origin investigation remains in progress and the scene will be processed by investigators from the Fire Dept. and the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office. The building was severely damaged, which includes the collapse of much of the roof structure. The building was considered uninhabitable prior to this fire. There were no reported injuries to civilians or fire personnel.”
