Columbus firefighters contain Sunday morning structure fire
About 6:59 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17, Columbus Fire Department was alerted to a structure fire in the 1800 block of 8th Street. At about 7:03 a.m., CFD's first unit arrived on scene from the nearby Charlie Louis Fire Station and found a two-car detached garage with heavy fire involvement, a news release said.
Crews were able to make a fast knockdown of the fire and limited the damage to the involved building.
An investigation determined that the fire was caused by the use of a wood-burning stove that was too close to combustible materials, according to Columbus Assistant Fire Chief Nathan Jones.
The assistant fire chief stressed the importance of using proper fire safety when using wood-burning stoves, noting there were no injuries to firefighters or civilians.
"It is important to ensure the chimneys are properly insulated and the fires are supervised," Jones said.
The incident is the second within the last week that has illustrated the significance of the Charlie Louis Fire Station being manned 24-7-365, which started in May 2024, according to the news release.
On the night of Nov. 13, CFD was called out to a structure fire in the 2400 block of East 5th Street. That fire was determined to have started by improper disposal of smoking materials. There was minimal damage to the structure and contents of the storage facility and no injuries reported.
"This is the second fire within four days that has occurred in the primary response district of Station 2 (Charlie Louis)," Jones said. "Having staff there 24-7-365 significantly reduces our response times and contributes to reduced property loss and saves lives."
