(La Porte, IN) - Work continues where an old factory building was pretty much destroyed by fire several months ago in La Porte.

 

Crews have been hauling materials from the old American Rubber site for proper disposal over the past two weeks.

 

La Porte City Code Enforcement Director Jeff Batchelor said the work is slow going because all of the necessary safety precautions being taken. For example, he said the materials are sprayed with water to prevent any asbestos from the old structure from blowing into the air during transport.  

 

“They’re doing it the right way so there is no hazard for the citizens or the people in the county,” Batchelor said.

 

He estimated it would take about six months to complete the clean-up if what remains of the building on Brighton Street is demolished and hauled away.

 

The fire in October required millions of gallons of water to extinguish. 

 

La Porte Fire Chief Andy Snyder said the cause has been linked to human involvement.  Whether it was set by accident or on purpose has not been determined, he said.

 

Over the years, there was evidence of people breaking into the huge building used recently to store large amounts of expired alcohol based hand sanitizer.  Officials said the hand sanitizer caused the fire to spread rapidly and cause as much damage as it did.

 

Before the fire, the hand sanitizer was held there until it could be taken for proper disposal.