Bloomington business damaged by fire

Posted on March 22, 2016

Bloomington fire crews battled a blaze at Miller Whiteside Woodworking on Tuesday morning. (Photo by Terry James/WJBC)

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington fire investigators say an early Tuesday morning blaze appears to be suspicious.

Crews said the fire at Miller Whiteside Woodworking, 505 S. McClun St., was reported about 6 a.m. The blaze seemed to be mostly confined to the roof area.

As of 9 a.m. fire crews were working to put out hot spots. The business owners arrived on scene after the fire was reported. There are no reported injuries.

“The smoke was so bad you couldn’t see anything!,” said neighbor Christine Whitt. “You can see the guys in the buckets in the air shooting at the top and at the side.”

Bloomington Fire Public Education Officer Stuart Blade says crews had to evacuate as the fire grew.

“We had a couple conflicting calls about the address on where we were going we ended up making our way into this structure on McClun,” said Blade. “Crews made entry, had fire above them, conditions started to deteriorate and we we went defensive which means we pulled everybody out and we’ve been using our aerial truck and fire ladder.”

A portion of McClun Street between Oakland Avenue and Grove Street was closed as police provided traffic control.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Bloomington Police Detective Matt Dick at 309-434-2475 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips may also be left with McLean County Crimestoppers at 309-828-1111.

Terry James and Bryan Bloodworth contributed to this report.

This report will be updated.

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