Columbus Township firefighters, assisted by area volunteer firefighters and the Columbus Fire Department, worked for two hours to extinguish a 3 1/2-acre brush fire on Columbus’ west side that came very close to the Westwood Pines Apartments and nearby homes.
Firefighters were sent to the area off Jonathan Moore Pike behind the apartments at 2 p.m. Friday about a grass and brush fire that was rapidly spreading due to high winds, said Capt. Steve LaRue, Columbus Township Fire Department spokesman.
About 50 firefighters eventually responded to the fire, bringing five brush trucks and three tankers to the scene, LaRue said. The tankers hauled water from a fire hydrant to the acreage behind the apartment complex to the brush trucks.
The fire had moved as close as 10 to 15 feet near the apartments before it was extinguished, LaRue said. Columbus firefighters were called out to the apartments to stop the flames from reaching the complex as the brush trucks worked out in the field.
Firefighters did not evacuate the apartments and no injuries were reported. In addition to Columbus firefighters, Columbus Township was assisted by firefighters from Wayne Township, Southwestern and Elizabethtown fire departments.
For more on this story, see Saturday’s Republic.
