Columbus home suffers heavy damage in morning fire

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Firefighters in Columbus were looking into the cause of a Wednesday morning house fire roughly a mile east of the city’s downtown.

The owner of a home in the 700 block of Hutchins Avenue called 911 at 4 a.m. after being awakened by a “strange noise” and seeing the glow of flames coming through a window, the Columbus Fire Department said in a statement. The home is located near the intersection of Hutchins Avenue and Seventh Street, directly west of Central Avenue and Haw Creek.

The fire department says the homeowner made it out unhurt and told police there was no one else inside the residence.

Firefighters arrived and found heavy fire in the small apartment located at the back of the house.

The fire was marked under control in about 20 minutes and firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading into the house. The fire department says the home’s vinyl siding was melted by the heat.

“The apartment portion of the property sustained heavy fire damage which included damage to the building’s structural components. Damage to the property is estimated at $45,000,” Capt. Michael Wilson, public information officer for the Columbus Fire Department, said in a statement.

The homeowner met with fire investigators and said someone had recently moved out of the apartment. He said the power and water to the apartment had been disconnected.

No firefighters were hurt and no one else was injured.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.