Indiana Restaurant Fire Damage Estimated at $4M

Firefighters had to struggle with frozen hydrants as they faced a blaze that destroyed a restaurant on the east side of Indianapolis, Ind. Damage is estimated at $4 million. The restaurant employed 135 people.

Fire crews arrived at the Texas Roadhouse restaurant near Shadeland Avenue and Interstate 70 early on Jan. 4, finding heavy fire and smoke coming from the rear of the building.

Fire Capt. Rita Reith says crews soon ran out of water as they needed more than 15 minutes to find a working hydrant. The temperature was in the low teens when the fire was reported.

The restaurant had been closed for more than two hours when the fire was reported and its cause wasn’t immediately known. One firefighter was taken to a hospital after suffering chest pain.