Staff Reports
Columbus firefighters were sent to 2826 Village Drive at 9:53 p.m. Wednesday on a report of a structure fire, but found a trash toter had melted at the rear entrance to an apartment.
A neighbor had called 911 to report a fire outside an apartment at the Village Drive address, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman.
When firefighters arrived on the scene they reported that the fire was out, Wilson said. Firefighters found a melted plastic trash toter on the rear entrance of the apartment and charring and discoloration to the building’s exterior. The fire damage was confined to the exterior of the apartment.
After speaking with the tenant, firefighters learned that the tenant had discarded charcoal, which was used earlier in the evening, into a plastic trash container. The tenant told firefighters that he believed that the coals were cold when he discarded the coals into a plastic toter. Firefighters believe that the coals were hot enough to ignite combustible materials inside the toter to the point that the entire container became involved in fire. The container had completely melted to the ground by the time that firefighters arrived at the scene, Wilson said.
No injuries were reported. Damages to the building are estimated at $8,000, Wilson said.
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The Columbus Fire Department reminds residents of the importance of ensuring that wood and charcoal coals are completely extinguished before the waste is placed into any combustible trash container. The CFD recommends that wood ash and used charcoal ash be placed in a non-combustible container, such as a metal pail or metal trash can, and that the material is allowed to cool between 12 and 24 hours before being placed into any plastic trash toter or container.
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