Fire destroys home, kills dog in Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A fire in Columbus destroyed a mobile home, left four people without a place to live, and killed a pet dog, firefighters said.

The Columbus Fire Department received a 911 call just before 8 p.m. Wednesday about a fire at a home in the 2900 block of Scotland Drive. That’s an address within the Candlelight Village Mobile Home Park on the city’s north side.

As fire crews rushed to the scene, they learned that all four people who lived in the mobile home had escaped, but a dog was still inside.

Firefighters arrived at the mobile home and found flames shooting from a window and heavy smoke billowing out the front door. The inside of the mobile home was filled with flames and dark smoke.

Once the fire was under control, crews went inside the home to search for the missing dog.

“Firefighters located a lifeless dog and quickly removed the pet outside of the home to the front lawn. Despite resuscitation measures from firefighters and medical personnel, the dog perished,” the fire department said in a release.

The owner of the mobile home told investigators no one was inside when the fire began. All four adults were working on projects outside when they heard a popping sound and then saw smoke.

One person tried to enter the home, but it was too smoky and he had to leave, the fire department says.

The homeowner told firefighters the fire was most intense in a bedroom that was being used for storage; the room also housed the home’s heating and cooling system.

“Damage to the home was extensive and firefighters consider it a total loss. No working smoke alarms were found within the home,” the fire department said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.