SOUTH BEND — Two firefighters were injured in a fire that started just after 7 a.m. Friday at Lincolnway Foods in the 700 block of Lincoln Way West in South Bend.

Clouds of thick, black smoke filled the air during morning rush hour.

“It’s unbelievable,” said witness Ardedia Lacy.

Witnesses say it was chaotic.

“I was coming from New Carlisle about a quarter after seven and I drove by and I saw smoke coming out every crack in the whole building,” said witness Chad Hayes. “And all I could think to do was call 911.”

“I was up there working on the roof and I noticed that there was smoke shooting from the building there,” said David Bevins. “So I ran over to the fire station and told them they had a fire a block away.”

When firefighters arrived they tried battling the flames on the inside. But it was too much to handle.

“So the firefighters deemed it to be unsafe,” said Chief Howard Buchanon. “So everybody got out and then we went into defensive mode.”

Shortly after firefighters got out the roof caved in and the walls collapsed, injuring firefighters Jared Perish and Kevin Kurtz. They were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

If they had waited much longer to get out, the situation could have been much worse.

“We could have lost firefighters had we still been inside at that time,” said Chief Buchanon. “That’s just what you have to look at — the safety of everybody — and the defensive part paid off.”

Neighbors watched in horror as the building crumbled.

And the family who runs the store cried out in disbelief.

“You see the look on their face,” said Hayes. “I mean it’s upsetting to yourself. It’s something you wished would never happen to you.”

And for Ardedia Lacy, seeing the family is especially heartbreaking.
"You know, I've worked there for three years,” she said. “I was close with the family. It's provided so much service to this community. It's just devastating."

Fire investigators were on the scene all day. Lincoln Way opened around 4:15 p.m. after being closed for almost nine hours.

Investigators said it could take days to determine the cause of the fire.