ARCOLA – Thirteen people were displaced and a piece of local history was heavily damaged Friday after a Christmas tree caught fire in an apartment building, officials said.

Larry Branning, 47, was drinking coffee at his mother’s house about 10 a.m. when he heard an explosion. He looked out the window to see the apartment building across the street engulfed in flames.

The lifelong Arcola resident ran across the street and began pounding on doors to get tenants out of the two-story building while he called 911.

Neighbors, meanwhile, gathered around the building at 11400 Arcola Road and helped haul out piles of mail from the Arcola post office on the bottom floor of the building.

Thirteen people escaped safely but were displaced by the blaze. The building was deemed habitable.

Several animals were in the building and most escaped unharmed – except two cats that died.

The sole business in the building, Tippmann Heating & Air LLC, was not occupied at the time of the blaze.

More than 75 firefighters from five area volunteer departments, including Arcola Township, worked about an hour to extinguish the blaze. The fire is believed to be accidental, caused by a Christmas tree that caught fire in a second-floor apartment.

The building sustained at least $45,000 in damage, according to Chuck Lake, chief of the Allen County FAST team.

“It’s probably the oldest building here in town,” Branning said.

Residents were not positive how old the red brick building is but estimated it dates to at least the Great Depression.

“I didn’t hear nothing until they were pounding on the door,” said Shaun Boatwright, 30, a first-floor tenant.

Boatwright, along with his wife and 3-year-old daughter, escaped unharmed. His neighbors, Brittany and Jason Selleck, were asleep when the blaze started – until their three dogs started barking and awakened them.

“Before we even sat up (in bed), we were both gasping (for air),” said Brittany Selleck, 22, who said smoke had filled their apartment.

The couple, along with their dogs and a cat, left the building safely – in their pajamas.

Neighbors lent them clothing to keep warm as they watched firefighters battle the blaze and cut holes in the roof for ventilation.

Tenants were able to re-enter the building about four hours later but were not allowed to spend the night there.

The building’s structure is safe – but will need repairs before being livable again, said Matt Butts, a volunteer firefighter and engineer for the Arcola Township Fire Department.

Volunteers from the Northeast Indiana American Red Cross were in Arcola to help the displaced families. Six of those families were being aided with food and clothing donations, and at least one family was given a room at a local hotel, according to Jeri Rusk, the Red Cross chapter’s financial development officer.

Lake said the fire was an accident but will likely be ruled undetermined because the damage was so extensive. He said the cause was likely older lights with loose connections on the Christmas tree.

The apartment where the blaze started was destroyed. Three other second-floor apartments suffered smoke damage.

The first-floor apartments, post office and business sustained water damage, Butts said. In addition, Arcola mail will be rerouted through Fort Wayne’s U.S. Post Office on Independence Drive.

“I’m a little rattled, but nobody died, so I’m grateful for that,” said Bob Tippmann, who owns the historic building and owns Tippmann Heating & Air.

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