Lafayette, IN - An Indiana State Police trooper is being credited with saving a Lafayette donut shop, after noticing it on fire early this morning as he was passing.
The trooper busted a glass door and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher.
According to a release from Indiana State Police, Trooper Ryan Winters had just finished inspecting a semi at the Knight's Inn on Indiana 26 around 1:49 a.m., when he noticed flames at the nearby Krispy Kreme donut shop at 4030 State Road 26 East as he was driving away.
Winters notified dispatchers, then busted out the front glass door to see if anyone was inside. The business was closed and nobody was inside.
According to the release, Winters grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire that had started in the kitchen area.
He turned the investigation over to the Lafayette Fire Department when firefighters arrived moments later.
Lafayette Fire Department Capt. Bob Burke said the cause is still under investigation.
However, Krispy Kreme assistant general manager Amy Thinnes said she knows what might have been the cause. When the business closed at midnight Friday night, a worker accidentally left a fryer turned on and the fryer's drain slightly open, she said.
That allowed the oil in the fryer to drain, uncovering the heating element, that was still on.
The business has emergency systems to extinguish such fires, she said, adding the only damage was the broken front door. The business was open as usual today.
But the trooper's quick actions definitely helped, Thinnes said. Had Winters not put out the flames, "we could have had more damage," she said. |
