COLUMBUS — Two families are receiving emergency housing assistance after an early-morning fire heavily damaged two mobile homes on Sunday, an incident investigators have traced to improperly discarded charcoal grill ashes.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the Candlelight Village Community following reports of a structure fire. Upon arriving at the scene, Columbus firefighters encountered a detached wooden storage building engulfed in heavy flames.
As teams deployed hose lines to mount an offensive attack, the extreme radiant heat from the out-of-control shed fire quickly spread, igniting two neighboring mobile homes.
Firefighters battled the advancing flames for approximately 10 minutes before bringing the fire under control at both residential structures. Both families managed to evacuate their homes safely before first responders arrived and escaped without injury.
However, because of the heavy structural damage and the necessity of disconnecting electrical service for safety reasons, both homes were rendered uninhabitable. The American Red Cross is currently on-scene providing emergency shelter, clothing, and food assistance to the displaced residents.
The incident required a coordinated effort from several local agencies, including the Columbus Police Department, Columbus Township Fire Rescue, Columbus Regional Health EMS, Columbus City Utilities, CenterPoint Energy, and Duke Energy.
Fire investigators with the Columbus Fire Department interviewed the displaced families at the scene to establish a timeline. Occupants noted that a charcoal grill had been used on Friday evening, and the residual ashes were cleaned out and discarded near the wooden storage building on Saturday evening.
Investigators located distinct burn patterns on the building’s exterior that perfectly matched the location of the dumped ashes. The Columbus Fire Department has officially ruled the fire accidental, caused by the improper disposal of a cooking fuel. According to investigators, on Friday evening, the grill was used for cooking. On Saturday evening, the ashes were emptied next to the wooden shed. On Sunday morning, the smoldering embers ignited the shed; heating spreads to two homes.
The Columbus Fire Department warns that charcoal and wood ash can hold enough heat to ignite a fire for several days after cooking. To prevent similar accidents, fire officials recommend the following disposal safety protocols:
Douse with water: Immediate action.
Thoroughly douse all spent charcoal bricks, wood ash, or cooking fuels with water immediately after use to cool the core temperature.
Use a non-combustible container: Storage choice.
Shovel the ash and coals exclusively into a heavy metal pail, can, or bucket. Never use plastic bags, cardboard boxes, or plastic trash bins.
Isolate the container outside: Final placement.
Store the metal container outside, keeping it several feet away from residential walls, wooden decks, sheds, or any other combustible materials.
No injuries to civilians or first responders were reported during the incident. Officials praise the quick actions of the families for evacuating immediately when the fire spread.
