February Issue of the WRite Stuff – Mayor Joe’s Article
I’m sure in this issue of the Write Stuff, there will be much written about the recent fire on 119th Street.
By now, you have likely all seen the photos and the remnants of the building. You may even
personally know someone who was displaced or impacted by the fire. It was without doubt a tragedy
for our community and especially for the people living in the building and the businesses displaced by
the event. What sometimes goes unseen is the amazing display of generosity and compassion that
occurs in the background. It would be impossible for me to begin listing every person or group that
has made a contribution or assisted in another way, so I won’t even attempt to do so. But, I think it’s
worth highlighting a few actions in an attempt to shed some positive light on this fire.
Let’s start with the actions of the Whiting Police Department to evacuate the building. Getting people
out of 8 apartments in two different buildings with a rapidly escalating fire deserves high praise. There
is no doubt that their quick response saved lives. Next we need to give credit to the efforts of the
Whiting, Hammond and East Chicago Fire Departments for their response to the fire. A fire of this
magnitude and intensity could have easily taken out the entire block. Restricting the major damage to
the original building was incredible even though the firefighters fought frigid temperatures during their
response. Next, North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan called me minutes after the story broke and told
me that his office would be mobilizing to assist the displaced residents. Once on site, his office
arranged for hotel rooms and food for anyone who was in need. It is also worth noting that the
American Red Cross was called and responded to provide assistance.
OK, the folks mentioned above had a job to do and in my eyes they did it well, so let me move on to
the real story. We’ve seen it time and time again, when disaster strikes in the Whiting-Robertsdale
Community, our people respond. The night of the fire, residents and local businesses provided warm
coffee to the firefighters, opened their businesses for warming shelters and assisted the responders
wherever they could. Even before the fire was out, thousands of dollars and hundreds of articles of
clothing were being collected to aid the victims. Assistance in finding new apartments was in progress
the very evening of the fire and furniture drives are now underway. At the risk of forgetting someone
who also helped in a significant way, I think it is appropriate to single out the 7 young ladies from St.
John the Baptist 6th Grade class. These young girls were the driving force behind the ‘Donation Day’
where much of the above listed contributions were collected. In cooperation with the Whiting Elks
and The Junkyard via their ‘Our Kind of Town’ Facebook page, these girls coordinated the donation
drive. You can read more about these young ‘Rock Stars’ in this very issue.
Now to a few others that typically don’t get recognized, but just make things happen. Kudos to the
Park Department staff for getting the Community Center open for a warming shelter and place for the
Trustee’s office and Red Cross could meet with the fire victims. Marty Jakubowski and Chuck
Kosalko also worked to collect and distribute the clothing collected on ‘Donation Day’. The Whiting
Police Department and the Street Department were also on scene providing support throughout the
ordeal. I must also recognize Whiting Building Commissioner Mike Hrinyo who has coordinated the
post-fire operations. What you may not know, is that it is not uncommon for insurance issues and red
tape to delay the demolition of a fire ravaged building for weeks and sometimes months waiting on the
results of the fire investigation. Through Mike’s efforts the building was razed in an expedient manner
to ensure the safety of the general public and the adjacent property owners.
In closing, I want to thank each and every person or group who donated or assisted in any way and
every city employee who responded to the call of duty. I would be remiss if I didn’t also extend my
thanks to the Hammond and East Chicago Fire Department who responded as part of the County
Mutual Aid Agreement. While the event was indeed a tragedy, the response and outpouring of
compassion was simply amazing. Thank you all.
Till next month…Mayor Joe
Mayor Joe can be reached (sometimes) via email at jstahura@whitingindiana.com