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http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/37312889.html

MICHIGAN CITY — Firefighters battled a fire at the NIPSCO plant Thursday night. A NIPSCO spokesperson told WSBT there was a fire in a coal conveyor belt at 100 Wabash Street.

According to spokesperson Colleen Riley, the fire started around 5:30 Central time. Riley said the fire was contained to the conveyor belt, and never spread to the company's nearby buildings.

The conveyor belt carries coal to the power plant. The belt itself, said Riley, is about 500 feet long and goes 135 feet into the air.

The cause of the fire is not known. Investigators will do a damage assessment and search for a cause.

Riley did not know when the plant will be back online.

She said there was never a disruption in service to NIPSCO customers. There were no reported injuries.

Fire crews remained on scene at 9 p.m. Central time Thursday.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=20174

Fire a NIPSCO station
Blaze was contained within plant’s coal chute

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - No one was injured in an early evening fire at NIPSCO's Michigan City Generating Station.

The fire was contained within the plant's aluminum coal chute, according to Jeff Santana, Inspection Division, public education and training officer and a spokesman for the Michigan City Fire Department.

It produced no outside flames, but nonetheless was a dangerous fire, Santana said. Coal dust is extremely combustible.

Although it was burning outside NIPSCO's building in the chute, firefighters fought the blaze from inside.

"Engine Company One, from 11th and Ohio, arrived first," Santana said. They arrived within three minutes of dispatch at 5:27 p.m.

Eventually, firefighters from all four stations plus some off-duty firefighters and all chiefs, were battling the blaze. About 40 firefighters were on the scene.

"The fire traveled up the chute," Santana said, adding that it never traveled down from the point at which it apparently began.

NIPSCO's own system of hoses which connect to NIPSCO's water aided firefighters in their effort to get water on the fire as soon as possible.

"And I've got to say, we have trained inside the generating station," Santana said, "so we were familiar with it."

Fire officials reported the blaze was out by 7:30 p.m. but remained at the scene throughout the evening.

Colleen M. Reilly, director of communications and public affairs for NIPSCO, said she is convinced the fire department's rapid response prevented damage to the building.

"The firefighters worked so quickly and so efficiently that the fire never got into the plant (from the chute)," Reilly said.

The chute begins at the far west side of the NIPSCO property and a conveyor belt transports the coal along its 500-foot length up 135 feet until it is dumped into NIPSCO's production process. The plant continued to produce electricity during the fire because it already had a supply of coal in the production area.

Long Beach, Westville and Coolspring volunteer fire departments provided coverage for Michigan City, just in case another fire should ignite.

Reilly said some NIPSCO employees felt a kind of vibration, but not an explosion. When they looked out windows, they could see the glow of a fire in the aluminum chute.

Just before that time, NIPSCO employees leaving the plant passed the spot where the fire apparently ignited and noticed nothing out of the ordinary, Reilly said.

Nearby neighbors, including officers at the police department, heard no explosion.

At the end of the meeting of the Board of the Department of Parks and Recreation, however, various staff members, including the new superintendent, smelled smoke and feared for the office building.

Bill Greene, a part-time employee, went to check on the furnace and eventually staff and board members determined the odor was coming from outdoors. That was about 5:30 p.m., just three minutes after the fire was reported. Momentarily, they heard the scream of fire engines as well.

[Roger Kaputnik]

The fire is the top middle bright area at the top of the conveyor structure.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=42369.47

No interruption of service

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - NIPSCO officials anticipate no interruption of service as a result of the Thursday evening fire at the Michigan City Generating Station.

"Actually, this is the smallest of our three generating stations," said Colleen M. Reilly, director of communications and public affairs for NIPSCO. The other two are the Bailly station in Burns Harbor and the Schaefer station in Wheatfield.

NIPSCO works from the electrical grid, Reilly explained.

"No one really knows where their power comes from, except from the grid," Reilly said.

A person living across the street from a generating plant might not be getting electricity from that plant, she added.

"(The generating station) continued to operate, producing electricity throughout the fire," Reilly said.

Asked whether employees should report to work at the generating station today, she said, "Oh, yes. We have lots of work to do."

NIPSCO employees will work with firefighters to try to determine the cause of the fire.

Reilly would not speculate about a cause Thursday evening. Both she and Michigan City firefighter Jeff Santana said it likely started about midway up the station's aluminum chute, which at its highest point is about 135 feet tall.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=42369.47

No interruption of service

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - NIPSCO officials anticipate no interruption of service as a result of the Thursday evening fire at the Michigan City Generating Station.

"Actually, this is the smallest of our three generating stations," said Colleen M. Reilly, director of communications and public affairs for NIPSCO. The other two are the Bailly station in Burns Harbor and the Schaefer station in Wheatfield.

NIPSCO works from the electrical grid, Reilly explained.

"No one really knows where their power comes from, except from the grid," Reilly said.

A person living across the street from a generating plant might not be getting electricity from that plant, she added.

"(The generating station) continued to operate, producing electricity throughout the fire," Reilly said.

Asked whether employees should report to work at the generating station today, she said, "Oh, yes. We have lots of work to do."

NIPSCO employees will work with firefighters to try to determine the cause of the fire.

Reilly would not speculate about a cause Thursday evening. Both she and Michigan City firefighter Jeff Santana said it likely started about midway up the station's aluminum chute, which at its highest point is about 135 feet tall.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=49973.31

NIPSCO station briefly ceases production
Investigation, cleanup continue after Thursday night’s fire.

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Following Thursday night's fire, NIPSCO's Michigan City Generating Station has temporarily ceased producing electricity.

The purpose, said Colleen Reilly, the utility's director of communication and public affairs, is to continue the investigation into the incident, as well as the subsequent cleanup process.

NIPSCO's other generating stations in Wheatfield and Burns Harbor are larger than the 470-megawatt Michigan City station. Besides, Reilly said, everyone's power these days comes from the electric grid. The shutdown of the Michigan City plant, she continued, will not cause power interruptions.

A fire started just before 5:30 p.m. Thursday in the station's 500-foot aluminum coal chute in which a conveyor belt transports coal to the production area.

The fire never entered the building, but firefighters fought the blaze from inside to keep it from entering the building.

"We're assessing the situation now," Reilly said, adding, "I have no word about the cause of the fire."

Michigan City firefighter Jeff Santana, the department's spokesman, said local or state fire marshals likely will not investigate the fire unless their assistance is requested. The origin of the fire is not suspicious, he added, so NIPSCO's own technicians will conduct an investigation to determine how it started.

Santana said firefighters are grateful for the assistance from the Michigan City Police Department.

"They brought their SWAT vehicle to use as a warming place," he said.

In addition, the La Porte County Emergency Medical Service stood by at the scene where, as it turns out, no one was injured.

"And the American Red Cross was there with beverages and sandwiches," Santana said.

What's more, volunteer fire departments from Trail Creek, Long Beach and Coolspring Township kept watch at Michigan City fire stations in case another fire call should be received.

Reilly said she could see the fire inspired a community effort.

"No one wants to see a fire at a power plant," she added.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...=46649.31NIPSCO still looking for cause of generating station fire

Joseph Malan
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The cause of Thursday's fire at the NIPSCO generating station in Michigan City is still being investigated, according to Nick Meyer, NIPSCO communications manager.

According to Meyer, NIPSCO has made discovering the cause of the blaze the company's No. 1 priority.

"They don't have a timetable at this point, but once they make the assessment of damages, they'll have a better sense [of the cause]," Meyer said.

Last Thursday, Jan. 8, a fire erupted in the aluminum coal chute at the generating station. The 135-foot chute runs on the far west side of the NIPSCO property, where it feeds coal to the energy-generating facility via a conveyor belt.

According to Meyer, there was no danger of the fire spreading to other parts of the facility.

"From the accounts I've heard from station supervisors, the fire was very well-contained in just one location," he said.

Personnel from all four Michigan City Fire Department stations, including off-duty firefighters and chiefs, had responded to the fire by 5:30 p.m. The fire was put out by approximately 7:30 p.m.

Jeff Santana, spokesman for the Michigan City Fire Department, said in a Jan. 9 article by The News-Dispatch that fire crews had been trained inside the generating station, which made it easier for them to put out the fire.

On Friday, The News-Dispatch reported NIPSCO customers' energy service would not be interrupted by the blaze. However, the facility halted operations and those operations remain shut down for the foreseeable future, until the company can figure out what caused the fire in the first place.

Regardless of how long the station is shut down, Meyer said, local customers will still receive power.

"We sincerely thank the help of everyone involved, especially Michigan City and the fire department," Meyer said. "It was a big group effort."

[quote]

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=47373.55

Quick work contained fire
On behalf of the employees of NIPSCO and the Michigan City Generating Station, we thank the Michigan City Fire and Police departments, neighboring fire departments, Michigan City Emergency Management Agency and the mayor's office for their assistance when fire broke out at the Michigan City Generating Station Jan. 8.

The first responders from the Michigan City Fire Department were on the scene within minutes of the first call for help. Their quick work with our employees helped contain the extent of the damage and protected our employees from harm.

It is a privilege to work with such dedicated public servants. We are fortunate to be a part of the Michigan City community.

Jerome B. Weeden

Senior Vice President

Electric Generation

NIPSCO

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=20625

NIPSCO station is running once again

Joseph Malan
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Although the NIPSCO generating station in Michigan City hasn't been completely repaired, electricity generation has resumed.

NIPSCO communications manager Nick Meyer said Tuesday the plant is now operating on natural gas, rather than coal, because the station's coal conveyor belt is still damaged from a Jan. 8 fire.

Meyer said the cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

Forensic engineers are working on identifying the cause, Meyer said.

The fire severely damaged the generating station's coal chute, and some parts of the conveyor belt system need to be replaced, according to Meyer. The company has already ordered the parts necessary to get the station running on coal again.

Because the cause of the fire has not been identified, NIPSCO still does not have an estimate of the overall cost of bringing the facility back up to full speed, he said.

Michigan City Fire Department Deputy Chief Randy Novak said Tuesday plant managers estimated the damage to be around $4 million, but that has not been confirmed by NIPSCO.

"Those are the only figures we've heard from NIPSCO," Novak said.

Even though the plant isn't operating at full capacity, Meyer said using natural gas for electricity generation is about as effective as using coal.

"In terms of [the amount of electricity] it produces, it's the same result," Meyer said.

The newly purchased Sugar Creek generating station in Terre Haute, Meyer added, will provide NIPSCO customers 535 megawatts of electricity from natural gas.

Though the cause of the coal chute fire is still being investigated, Meyer is confident plant operations will remain stable for the foreseeable future.

"Our operations are safe at the facility," he said.

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http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...ArticleID=20989

NIPSCO fire won't affect bills

Joseph Malan
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - A fire at NIPSCO's Michigan City Generating Station will not affect residential customer's bills, a company representative said Wednesday.

Communications Manager Nick Meyer said damages to the station's coal chute will be covered by insurance.

On Jan. 8, the station's conveyor belt system was damaged when its coal chute caught fire and was accompanied by an explosion, an incident that put the station out of commission for several weeks.

Meyer revealed Wednesday the cause of the fire to be an equipment malfunction. He said the station will incur $7 million in costs directly related to the equipment malfunction inside the chute.

"Repairs are under way," Meyer said, "and are expected to take three to four months."

On Jan. 27, The News-Dispatch reported the generating station resumed operations, with the difference being the station was using natural gas to generate electricity and not coal.

Meyer said even though the station shut down, there was no interruption in power service for customers. The power-producing "network" has several other generating stations that contribute to providing customers with power.

While NIPSCO repairs the coal chute, Meyer said, the company plans to do other repairs on the generating station that weren't scheduled to occur until late this year.

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http://www.nwi.com/articles/2009/04/12/bus...59400612350.txt

Vidimos, Inc. helps NIPSCO replace conveyor damaged in fire

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By Lu Ann Franklin
Times Correspondent | Sunday, April 12, 2009 | (No comments posted.)

In the year following the end of World War II, Frank Vidimos set up his sheet metal shop in East Chicago to supply furnace duct work in new homes being built for returning servicemen.

Eventually, Vidimos, Inc. gravitated to more industrial work for companies that stretched along Lake Michigan, said Scott Vidimos, grandson of the founder and current company president.

For more than 60 years, three generations of the Vidimos family have led this company that turns sheet metal and steel plate into duct work, stainless and carbon steel containers, bins, hoppers and tanks for large industrial clients, including steel manufacturers, oil and chemical plants and utility companies in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area. Vidimos also provides installation services including HVAC and other sheet metal related work.

"As the automotive industry recovers, we can also provide parts that go into cars, such as sound-proofing materials," Vidimos said. "We also process ventilation work at the car manufacturing plants."

Although most fabricated products are used locally, Vidimos, Inc. also ships orders to clients around the world. And a fourth generation of the Vidimos family, Scott's son Adam, is learning the business to continue providing professional services to local industry.

One of the latest projects for Vidimos has been overseeing fabrication of a 520-foot-long conveyor gallery to carry coal in NIPSCO's Michigan City plant.

A fire on Jan. 8 destroyed the gallery which transports the coal to the electrical generating portion of the plant. Damage from the fire resulted in approximately $7 million in overall repair work, but the costs have been offset by insurance, according to Nick Meyer, spokesperson for NIPSCO. The project still remains on schedule, and though the facility isn't operating during the repair work, customers have not been impacted, he said.

The conveyor gallery had to be manufactured in five sections, the longest of which was 130 feet long and weighed 92,000 pounds, or 46 tons, Vidimos said.

Vidimos employees from Local 20 Sheet Metal Workers put their craftsmanship to work fabricating the large trailer-like sections in record time. Then piping, pipe insulation, conduit and wiring and rebar were installed with the structure being finished-painted at Vidimos' shop to allow the gallery to be assembled in modular sections at the NIPSCO Michigan City plant.

Vidimos Inc.
Type of business: Sheet metal and plate fabrication
When opened: 1946 Location: 3858 Indiana Harbor Dr., East Chicago, IN 46312
Phone: (219) 397-2728
Owners: Vidimos family; Scott Vidimos, president
Number of employees: 65 full-time
Web site: www.vidimos.com