Columbus firefighters were sent to a detached garage fire in the 700 block of Cottage Avenue which destroyed the structure along with two cars.
Firefighters arrived at 728 Cottage Ave. at 4:44 a.m. Monday after a neighbor reported that she saw flames come from the rear of the Cottage Avenue address, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
The neighbor, Pertness Humes, told firefighters she ran across the street and knocked on her neighbor’s door to tell them about the fire.
John and Alexas Arrington were asleep in the home when Humes woke them up, allowing the couple and a week-old infant to flee the home, Wilson said.
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Firefighters found the fully involved garage fire about 20 feet from the residence and a passenger car on fire just feet from the garage. Firefighters encountered arcing power lines above the garage, which then fell to the ground, Wilson said.
The fire was brought under control at about 5:10 a.m., Wilson said. During the fire, a large portion of the garage roof collapsed onto a car and lawn-mowing equipment inside, Wilson said.
A minivan near the home had heat damage from the fire.
Due to the condition of the block wall garage after the fire, and a potential of it collapsing into an alley, the Columbus Department of Public Works brought in a front-end loader to push down the wall that was starting to lean, Wilson said.
The property owner for the home, which was not damaged, was notified of the fire, Wilson said. Cause of the fire has been classified as undetermined, Wilson said. No injuries were reported.
The fire department was assisted by the Columbus Police Department, Columbus Regional Health ambulance, Duke Energy, Vectren and Columbus City Utilities.
