COLUMBUS, Ind. — Fire damages a home in the 1300 block of Pearl Street overnight.
Columbus firefighters were sent to 1320 Pearl St. at 10:46 p.m. Tuesday where they found a two-story residence heavily involved in fire.
A total of four engines, a ladder truck and a rescue squad were at the scene, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
The first arriving engine found heavy fire extending from the ground floor apartment up to the second floor apartment. After a rapid survey of the entire building, crews began to attack the flames from the exterior of the building. With the exterior flames knocked down, firefighters entered the home to search for occupants. The primary search completed, firefighter on the interior reported that the two apartment units were vacant. After confirming the building was empty, firefighters shifted to interior fire suppression and gaining access to the attic space, where heavy smoke was seen pushing from the eaves. Crews worked on both the interior and the exterior to access the attic space and extinguish remaining fire. Once attic access was established, the fire was brought under control.
Both apartments were unoccupied at the time the fire occurred. The ground floor tenant, Richard Bryant, told firefighters that he and his wife had only been gone from their apartment for approximately 20 minutes when a neighbor called them to report that the home was on fire. The second floor tenant, Adam Calfee, told firefighters he was at work when he received a call about the fire from a family member. Richard Bryant told investigators that a neighbor rescued his dog prior to the arrival of firefighters, but said that a cat was unaccounted for.
Damages to the home were extensive for both the ground floor and second floor apartments. Due to the damages caused by the fire, the home is uninhabitable. Damages to the home are estimated at $60,000. The Salvation Army is providing fire victim assistance..
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Agencies that assisted at the scene include the Columbus Police Department, Duke Energy, Vectren Energy, Columbus City Utilities and the Columbus Regional Health Ambulance Service. No injuries were reported at the scene.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
