(La Porte, IN) - A house heavily damaged by fire in La Porte will be torn down in the near future.

A demolition bid of more than $20,000 was recently approved by the city’s Board of Public Works and Safety.  

Code Enforcement Director Jeff Batchelor said the work can begin once NIPSCO removes the gas and electric lines from the house.

“We’re just at the final stages of being able to take that building down,” he said.

The two story structure at 1108 Clay St. was empty when the fire broke out in December of 2021.  According to authorities, the house containing multiple apartments had recently been occupied until vacated for the owner to begin renovating the building.

An electrical issue was the suspected cause of the blaze.