COLUMBUS – A Thursday morning fire at the Williamsburg Apartments in Columbus displaced ten residents and sent one adult male to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
According to the Columbus Fire Department, the fire started on a third-floor balcony. Investigators believe the fire started after someone improperly discarded smoking materials on the wooden balcony. The fire was ruled accidental.
Around 4:05 a.m. Thursday, the Columbus Fire Department and Columbus Township Fire Department were called to 2715 Williamsburg Court after a report of a fire at the Williamsburg Apartments.
When Firefighters arrived, they found heavy fire showing from a third-floor balcony with fire also visible on a second-floor balcony. Firefighters quickly initiated an exterior fire attack from the street and applied a water stream onto both the second and third-floor wooden deck balconies.
As Firefighters advanced a fire hose to the upper levels of the apartment building’s interior, firefighters discovered that some of the building occupants were still in their apartments. Firefighters alerted all residents of the danger and all residents were safely evacuated from the building by firefighters.
One male resident, who lived in the third-floor apartment where the fire was believed to have originated, suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
The building contained six apartments, five of which were occupied. Three families were permitted to return to their apartments at the conclusion of the investigation. Two apartments were deemed uninhabitable as a result of the fire. A total of seven adults and three children are among those displaced. The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross provided emergency services to the families involved.
Damage to the building is estimated at $30,000.
Agencies that assisted at the scene include Columbus Township Fire and Rescue, Columbus Police Department, and Columbus Regional Health Emergency Medical Services.
