Dozens of firefighters were called to an early morning blaze Sunday when the old Walter Piano building caught fire.

At approximately 6 a.m., Elkhart firefighters received a call that the vacant building at 700 W. Beardsley Ave. was on fire. By the time crews arrived on the scene, the entire middle section of the building was involved and extra crews were called right away.

In the end, 36 to 40 firefighters were on the scene, even though the fire was declared defensive at first and no crews were sent inside. The fire was under control at 10:22 after destroying the middle section of the building.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire.

Truth Staff