GARY, Ind. — Firefighters battled a fire at the former historic Emerson High School in Gary Saturday night.
This is the second time the abandoned school caught fire in the past six months.
The fire broke out at the over a century old school near 7th Avenue and Carolina Street around 9:45 p.m. Saturday night.
Gary Fire said firefighters arrived within minutes and found heavy fire destruction in the roof and attic space above the third floor spreading across the building.
The smoke could be seen miles away and was said to be spreading quickly due to wind gusts.
The building roof collapsed due to flames and firefighters said there were no injuries reported.
Firefighters from multiple northwest Indiana communities including Merryville and Munster fought the flames until 3 a.m. Sunday morning.
In July 2015, a 17-year-old girl from Chicago was found strangled in the building.
A fire broke out at the same abandoned school on June 14 and the school is on the National Register of Historic Places.
In July, police arrested four people in connection with a shooting that happened inside.
The school was known for a 1927 boycott after 18 African American students were transferred to the school which led to a strike against desegregation and a student boycott. The school closed in 2008.
Fire chief Mark Terry released a statement addressing the fire:
“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.” He continued: “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.”
Gary Housing Authority purchased the building two years ago, but it is unclear what the building was being used for, if at all.
The fire was extinguished after several hours and companies returned to service by 4 a.m.
There is currently no word on what may have caused the fire but an arson investigator was on the scene.
By: Neshmia Malik, Judy Wang
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