A piece of Shelbyville history went up in smoke at about 3:00 AM this morning. The old
part of Knauf Fiber Glass on Elizabeth Streetcovering several city blocks and formerly a
furniture factory known as "The Dinky" at the turn of the last century,
continues to burn. Dark, billowing smoke from Shelby County's largest employer could
be seen from some miles away in all directions. News personnel from Indianapolis
television stations were monitoring the situation from helicopters and ground crews.
Shelbyville Central Schools, after having been closed the last three days due to snow and
ice, had a two hour delay this morning. Due to lack of water pressure, the Central
schools called off school again at 11:00 AM today. Shelbyville's city and county
government has sent their employees home and has asked all restaurants to close. American
Water Company has issued a "boil water order" for the city. Residents are unable
to flush toilets and take showers due to the pressure loss. According to news accounts,
one elevated water tank in the city is empty and the other is half full due to the demands
of the six fire departments currently fighting the fire. The Shelbyville Fire Department
is requestng more help from surrounding counties in fighting the blaze.