COLUMBUS, Ind. — Investigators continued combing through the fire scene in the 400 block of Fifth Street downtown on Monday, searching for clues into how a fire started in a commercial building there.
Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman, said the building has not collapsed, and firefighters and police are keeping the area blocked off from traffic and onlookers as the investigation continues.
The State Fire Marshal’s office and local fire investigator Troy Todd are continuing to investigate today. Firefighters have warned that 440 Fifth St. and 422 Fifth St. are dangerously unstable after partial collapses during a fire that was reported at 11:50 p.m. Saturday.
A view of the Fifth Street facade of the Irwin Block on Fifth Street. which was destroyed in a Saturday night fire.
Due to the large amount of water poured on the building from multiple ladder trucks, firefighters said the added weight might not be sustainable for the damaged building.
About 40 firefighters, both on-duty and off-duty, were at the scene and all six Columbus Fire Department engines responded and worked at the fire from late Saturday night through Sunday morning. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries from falls at the scene, one who was injured avoiding the collapsing building, and the other two from slipping on ice in the freezing temperatures.
For more on this story, and an update on tenants in the commercial building who have been displaced, see Tuesday’s Republic.
