Only a pile of rubble remained Monday after a shed housing thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment for young athletes caught fire.
The Northlake Pop Warner football and cheer program’s hangar at Pulaski Park Fieldhouse in Hammond was destroyed in a fire early Sunday.
“It was really hard for me, I had a lot of memories,” said Northlake Pop Warner cheerleader Elliana Roberts.
Pop Warner’s youth football and cheer program serves children in Hammond, East Chicago and Whiting.
Most of their equipment was in the garage.
“There were all of our tackling dummies, our pom poms, our cheerleading mats, our helmets, our shoulder pads, our memorabilia, our trophies…” Kaylee Tallo said. “Everything in that garage is very expensive. We just bought brand new football helmets. Most kids have a helmet and a pad, but you need all the tools to play football or cheer, and all those tools are gone.”
Despite the total loss, the athletes’ coaches and parents are hoping to come back stronger than ever. Several fundraising events are planned, including a 5K on Sunday and a “foam bubble party.”
While funds are being raised through their Facebook page, firefighters are working to determine what happened. In the meantime, minimal drills and training are being held on the adjacent field.
