Photo provided Columbus firefighters and Columbus Township firefighters work at the scene of a Monday morning fire at 921 California St. No injuries were reported.
Columbus Fire Department investigators are investigating the cause of a California Street fire that destroyed a single family home Monday morning.
Firefighters worked at the scene for approximately four hours and faced numerous challenges, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters were sent to 921 California St. at about 10 a.m. Monday, and found heavy fire visible from the front of the single story rental home, Wilson said. The first arriving engine company prepared hose lines to fight the fire and firefighters were told no one was inside the home.
With additional crews arriving on the scene, firefighters went into the home and applied water to the flames. As they attempted to advance further, the fire produced extreme heat conditions inside the home that made further advancement difficult, Wilson said. Firefighters operating inside the interior of the home reported that the flames were so intense that the fire attack crew’s application of water had little effect.
With smoke conditions on the exterior of the home indicating that the fire had spread to additional rooms and the home’s attic, the scene incident commander ordered firefighters to evacuate and called for an exterior defensive attack, which included the protection of a neighboring home at 925 California St., Wilson said.
Firefighters then used a ladder truck to direct an elevated water stream into the attic, which improved conditions, but only temporarily. Wilson said a portion of the roof collapsed into the interior of the home, and then brought the fire under control, allowing crews to re-enter the interior to address hotspots.
The home at 925 California St. sustained minor damage to the home’s vinyl siding caused by radiant heat, Wilson said.
Two pet dogs, located in the rear lawn at 921 California St., were secured by Columbus Animal Care Services. Neither of the dogs were injured. The rental home, owned by Columbus Rental Property LLC, is considered a total loss estimated at $50,000.
The fire was the first working fire incident that resulted in Columbus Fire Department and Columbus Township firefighters working together according to a mutual aid agreement signed Aug. 1.
Deputy Chief Mark Ziegler, Columbus Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations, said that the recent automatic aid agreement proved its worth today.
“We experienced a very challenging fire today that required a large amount of manpower working for an extended period of time. With the additional manpower and equipment on the scene, we had extra hands capable of completing essential tasks to get the job done as efficiently and safely as possible,” he said. Seven fire apparatus responded to the scene with a total of 22 firefighters at the scene.
Agencies that assisted at this incident include the Columbus Police Department, Columbus Regional Health Ambulance Service, Columbus Animal Care Services, Duke Energy, CenterPoint Energy, Columbus City Utilities and the Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Dispatch Center.
