Four people lost their homes and possessions in a fire that started in a Columbus Housing Authority apartment and spread to three other units Wednesday morning.
All six Columbus Fire and Rescue fire trucks responded to the call, which came in at 11:30 a.m., according to CFR Public Information Officer Anthony Colom. No one was injured, and only one resident was home when the fire broke out at the complex on 16th Avenue South.
As of press time, fire marshals were still investigating where and how the fire started, Colom said.
Debra Taylor, director of Columbus Housing Authority, said all four people had places to stay for at least the next two nights. All but one have a vacant apartment where they can stay, though until the apartments are furnished and their utilities turned on over the next couple days, they will sleep in hotel rooms. The last individual is staying at a hotel while making plans to stay with family.
“Most of them are devastated,” Taylor said. “They spoke to the fact that they had sentimental things that they know they’re not able to replace.
“… The main thing was they loved their neighborhood and they didn’t want to move,” she added. “We reassured them that we would place them in an area where they would still be just as comfortable and safe and they could find contentment there during this process. We’re not sure exactly how long it will be before these (burned) units are refurbished and available for rent again.”
Taylor said firefighters are still assessing the damage to the apartment units, but it looks as though one of the apartment units could be repaired.
Taylor also spent Wednesday reaching out to charities, churches and civic organizations requesting donations of clothing, furniture and other necessities like sheets, towels and toiletries lost in the apartment fire.
“We’re just grateful to all the agencies that had a quick response in reaching out,” she said. “We’ve had individuals and agencies that have already met some of the needs that the tenants identified, so we want to say thank you to them and the others that reached out.”
She said anyone who wants to provide necessities can take those donations to the Housing Authority at 914 Fourth St. S.
Firefighters spent 2-1/2 hours battling the flames, finally extinguishing the fire just after 2 p.m., Colom said. He added McDonald’s Restaurant had provided free lunch on-scene to the 21 firefighters and six support staff who responded.
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