A fast-moving house fire tore through a home on Hearthstone Drive in Fishers before dawn Monday, leaving the residence a total loss and killing three cats, even as the three people living there managed to escape unharmed. Firefighters were dispatched around 5:45 a.m. to the blaze near 116th Street and Brooks School Road, and crews spent the morning working to keep it from spreading to nearby properties.
Flames Erupt Near 116th Street and Brooks School Road
The fire broke out in the 11000 block of Hearthstone Drive, according to Fox 59, which reported that photos and video from the scene showed extensive damage to the home's roof and interior. WTHR reported that the fire damaged three houses, while its own crews observed major damage to a house on Hearthstone Drive just south of 116th Street. Fox 59, meanwhile, described a neighboring home as sustaining heat damage, without detailing damage to two separate homes, so the full extent of the damage beyond the main residence has not been independently confirmed across every account.
Fishers Fire Department Deputy Chief Hugo Wans said it appeared the blaze started in the back portion of the home, and he described the residence as a total loss, according to the Fox 59 report. The fire department also told Current in Fishers that neighboring homes sustained exterior damage. Firefighters conducted defensive operations to bring the fire under control, per a report from WRTV.
Family Escapes, Pets Don't Make It Out
Three people who live inside the home were able to escape the flames, but three cats died in the fire, family members told Fox 59. No injuries were reported among the residents, and the Red Cross was en route to assist the displaced family, the station said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Carmel Fire Department and Vernon Township Fire Department both provided mutual aid to Fishers crews at the scene, according to the same Current in Fishers report. The multi-department response points to how quickly the fire demanded extra resources in the early morning hours.
Not the First Fire to Hit Multiple Fishers Homes
This isn't the first time a Fishers house fire has spread to neighboring properties. Back in July 2022, the Fishers Fire Department responded to a single-family residence fire that destroyed one home and damaged two others, according to a prior WRTV report — with one neighboring home suffering extensive damage and the other only cosmetic damage. In that earlier incident, the family inside also escaped in time and no one was injured, though the cause was never determined in that report either.
