Photo: City of Franklin Fire Dept.
by Christopher Hodapp
On the morning of Friday, April 10, 2026, just after 5:00 a.m., a large fire broke out at the Indiana Masonic Home at Compass Park in Franklin, Indiana. The blaze rapidly engulfed Young’s Creek II, a 39-unit apartment building under construction as part of the campus expansion. The building was unoccupied at the time and just 100 days from opening.
It's been declared a total loss, with damages estimated to exceed $20 million.
Credit: WTHR-13 Video
In an interview with WTHR-TV13, Franklin Fire Chief Joshua Snyder described it as “the largest fire I’ve seen in my 20-year career in Franklin,” and possibly the biggest in the city in decades. Approximately 60 firefighters from 11 departments across Johnson County (including Franklin, Bargersville, Edinburgh, Greenwood, and Whiteland) responded. It took about two and a half hours to bring the fire under control, with crews coming back over the weekend to battle continuing hot spots. The state fire marshal is assisting with the investigation, which could take two to three months.
Cause has not yet been determined but is not considered suspicious at this time.
Thankfully, there were no injuries to residents, staff, or emergency personnel. While the fire primarily destroyed the new construction, smoke and water damage affected the occupied building, prompting a precautionary evacuation of about 55 residents. But thankfully, the firewall separating the two buildings did its job and stopped the spread - things could have been much, much worse. Mike Spencer, CEO of Compass Park, noted that staff safely evacuated residents from the adjoining Young’s Creek Phase I building in just 17 minutes—thanks to monthly fire drills and emergency training. Three staff members were checked for smoke inhalation and released.
Kudos to Mike and his staff, who executed a calm, quick and efficient evacuation.
In the official statement from Compass Park, the Masonic Home expressed deep gratitude for the swift multi-agency response and the overwhelming support from the Franklin community and Brothers across the jurisdiction:
Most of the destroyed apartments in Young's Creek II had been pre-sold. With move-in day a little more than 3 months away, more than a few of those folks anticipated the movie by selling their existing homes already, or scheduling their closings. Now, 39 families have to make new arrangements pretty quickly.
The destroyed building was adjacent to occupied housing, so the immediate focus has been on caring for the displaced residents. Many are staying with family, while others are being put up in nearby hotels. Compass Park is providing transportation for meals, activities, and services. The statement emphasizes that in moments like this, the greatest challenges are often personal rather than structural.
The statement continued:
Donations are being requested to help cover temporary housing, food, water, transportation, and other essential needs as circumstances evolve. This weekend coincided with the Annual Assembly of the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Indiana. During that event, more than $5600 was quickly collected for the relief of the displaced residents of Compass Park.
Updates on the investigation and rebuilding efforts will be shared as they become available.
How You Can Help
Brethren are encouraged to keep the Compass Park community in their thoughts and prayers as they work through this challenge together. If you’d like to support the residents of Compass Park, donations for temporary housing, meals, and essentials can be directed through the official channels of the Indiana Masonic Home.The Indiana Masonic Home Foundation has coordinated with leadership at Compass Park and have agreed that during this challenging period donations for fire-related recovery should be sent directly to:
Compass Park
c/o Mike Spencer
690 State Street
Franklin, IN 46131
This ensures funds go immediately where they are needed most during this time.
They have also set up an official direct donations page via Square. CLICK HERE to donate online.
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