Copyright, The Republic, Columbus
COLUMBUS, Ind. — More than a week after a fire destroyed a treasured historical building in downtown Columbus, the cause of the blaze is still unknown.
The fire, which broke out late Dec. 3, ravaged a commercial building on the 400 block of Fifth Street that has been known for generations of Columbus residents as the “Irwin Block” building, resulting in a large portion of the building’s third story façade collapsing onto the sidewalk and street.
The building is believed to be at risk of collapse and Columbus firefighters have said that it is likely the building will need to be demolished. City officials condemned the building last week, but no demolition permits for the property had been filed with Bartholomew County Code Enforcement as of mid-day Monday, officials said.
Local and state fire investigators began investigating the cause of the blaze that same weekend, and the investigation was still ongoing as of Monday, said Columbus Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Wilson.
“The investigators have been working with all the occupants, and then trying to gather as much information as possible in terms of the businesses that occupied the building. And then they’re also working with insurance companies at this time as well. At this point, there has been no cause determined, and it could remain under investigation for a period of time,” he said.
Last week, local officials confirmed that the building did not have a sprinkler system but was not required to have one due to the age of the building, how it was being used, its occupancy, square footage, among other criteria. The building is likely around 129 years old, said Bartholomew County Historian Tami Stone Iorio.
“It would have predated the requirement for a fire sprinkler system,” said Columbus Fire Inspector Troy Todd.
However, the building next door at 440 Fifth St., which currently houses the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and was also impacted by the fire, did have a sprinkler system, Todd said.
State officials told The Republic that many historical buildings in Indiana may not be required to have sprinkler systems.
“Building codes are put into place in a specific year,” said Anna Shei, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. “Buildings built before the year the code was enacted are not required to update to the new code. Buildings built after the year the code was enacted are required to stick to the latest code. A number of historical buildings may not be required to have sprinklers systems because the building was built before sprinkler systems were enforced.”
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
