INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis firefighter was injured while responding to a pole barn blaze on Sunday night.

Public police reporting systems indicate crews were dispatched to the 2000 block of Columbia Avenue around 7:23 p.m. on a report of a building fire. A battalion chief at the scene told FOX59 and CBS4 that, when crews arrived at the scene, they located a single-story pole barn that was fully engulfed in flames.

IFD reported that nobody was in the barn when the fire broke out.

As of 8:45 p.m., the blaze was contained. At that time, however, IFD indicated that crews were still working to extinguish cars and other equipment that were on fire.

One firefighter was injured during the blaze, per IFD. The firefighter sustained the injury on a ladder and was transported from the scene to IU Methodist Hospital. A battalion chief on scene told FOX59 and CBS4 the injured firefighter is in stable condition.

As of this article’s publication, no additional information on the fire or what caused it had been released.

LEBANON – Two-time Indianapolis 500 champion and Nashville resident Josef Newgarden would be interested in one day running the double — the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte.

However, Newgarden acknowledged there is a lot more behind the scenes to making that happen than simply saying he’d like to compete in the two races, which would account to 1,100 miles racing in one day.

“If we win enough Indy 500s, maybe they’d just have to say yes,” Newgarden said Sunday during a media availability at Nashville Superspeedway prior to the Ally 400. “That’s the strategy. We’ve got two now. How many do we need to get an automatic yes. Is it two more? I don’t know what the answer is. We’ll keep going until they say yes.”

Newgarden, The Tennessean’s 2023 Sportsperson of the Year, has won the past two Indianapolis 500 races.

“I’d love to drive a Cup car at some point,” said Newgarden, a Pope Saint John Paul II Preparatory School graduate.

“I used to go to Bristol races when I was a kid. Bristol has always been very high on my list. This track and Bristol are probably the tracks I went to the most to see Cup races. To do the double, would be a great opportunity.

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“I don’t know if that will ever take shape. It’s really tough nowadays to get that all lined up. There is a lot of people that have to be involved and come together on that. First and foremost, it was great to see Kyle (Larson) do that. We’d love to see more do that.”

Newgarden drives for Roger Penske, owner of Team Penske. Team Penske’s NASCAR Cup program includes 2023 NASCAR Cup champion Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric. Roger Penske also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on the X platform @Kreager.

INDIANAPOLIS (Gray News) – Police say a dog left in a hot car has a second chance at happiness after a public safety officer who helped rescue her decided to adopt her.

Indianapolis Police say Public Safety Officer S. Poe was among those on scene when a German shepherd named Abby, a cat and another dog were left inside a locked car in 90-degree heat.

The three animals were found last Thursday in a hotel parking lot by the manager, who said he was alerted to the situation when Abby honked the car’s horn, WISH reports.

Officers rescued Abby and the cat, but sadly, the second dog in the car died. It’s believed the animals were in the car for about three hours.

Police announced Saturday that Poe reached out to Indianapolis Animal Care Services after the incident and adopted Abby, giving her a new forever home.

“I switched her collar, and it was like Abby knew she was home for good,” Poe said.

Two people – 53-year-old Charles Thomas and 74-year-old Norma Light – are facing charges in relation to the incident, according to WISH. Light allegedly said she left the animals in the car because the hotel was not pet-friendly.

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