Fire Hits Grandstand at Indiana Fairgrounds

Explosions might have preceded a fire in a grandstand at the Shelby County Fairgrounds in Indiana.

Shelbyville Fire Chief Tony Logan says his department received reports early Saturday of a couple of explosions in the area of the fairgrounds about 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis. He says nearby residents reported seeing the fire “fully involved from one end to the other with flames 75 to 100 feet into the air.”

However, the cause of the blaze isn’t known yet. Arson dogs from federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the State Fire Marshal’s Office have been taken to the scene.

The fire started after midnight.

Organizers say the Shelby County Fair is the oldest county fair in Indiana and the grandstand made of white pine was built in 1879.