(La Porte, IN) - Fire heavily damaged a commercial structure in La Porte over the weekend.

 

Just after 6 p.m. on Friday, firefighters were called to Harborside Manufacturing at 120 East Shore Parkway on the city’s north side.

 

La Porte Assistant Fire Chief Kelly Burke said the middle bay of the three bay structure was burning and firefighters kept the flames pretty much within that part of the pole type building.  Metal sheeting separated each of the bays from each other.

 

“We were working hard to keep it contained to where it started,” he said.

 

Burke said the business, which makes wooden docks, had closed for the day about one hour before the call for a response.

 

Upon arrival, smoke was coming from the eaves in the middle of the still relatively new building.

 

Burke said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

 

Despite minimal fire damage to the other bays, he said the roof above the middle bay collapsed and damage might be extensive enough to make the structure not worth salvaging.

 

“They’re going to need to have a structural engineer come in and look at that to decide what course of action to take,” he said.