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COLUMBUS, Ind. — Four adults and three cats were reportedly uninjured after a Wednesday evening fire damaged a two-unit duplex rental property in Columbus.
According to a news release from the Columbus Fire Department, firefighters were called to a duplex near the intersection of 8th Street and California Street around 6:57 p.m. Wednesday.
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Flames emit from the roof at a residential fire in the 1000 block of 8th St. in Columbus Wednesday evening. Provided by the Columbus Fire Department -
Columbus Firefighters use a pet crate to remove three cats from a smoke filled apartment after fire caused significant damage in the 1000 block of 8th St. in Columbus Wednesday evening.. Provided by the Columbus Fire Department -
Columbus Firefighters battle a duplex apartment fire in the 1000 block of 8th St. in Columbus Wednesday evening. – Provided by the Columbus Fire Department. -
Columbus Regional Health Emergency Medical Services Paramedic John Shoaf checks on three cats after providing oxygen therapy to the pets following a duplex apartment fire in the 1000 block of 8th St in Columbus Wednesday evening Provided by the Columbus Fire Department.
When firefighters first arrived at the house, Columbus police officers told them that everyone was out of the home. The release said that a neighboring apartment had also been evacuated by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.
By the time firefighters entered the home, flames were visible through the roof at its rear. Officials said a “smoke explosion” then occurred, “causing a percussion wave to strike the fire attack team as they entered.”
As crews began to fight the fire within the home, firefighters entered the nearby apartment and found three cats in the smoke-filled apartment. The release said the cats were removed from the apartment and later reunited with their owners.
“Firefighters brought the blaze under control within 20 minutes and spent the next hour and a half working to find and extinguish hot spots within the heavily damaged building,” the release read.
According to investigators, the fire was discovered by a tenant who alerted the others in the neighboring apartment. The fire was reportedly “so intense that the high heat melted the shower fixtures within the bathroom area.”
“Flames burned through the ceiling and entered the attic space,” the release said. “The cause of the fire remains under investigation.”
Officials said the American Red Cross is providing emergency shelter assistance to the families involved. Damage is estimated at more than $60,000.
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