Neighbor awakens sleeping resident during downtown home fire

A neighbor who noticed a fire at a home in downtown Columbus Friday helped save a resident who was sleeping at the time of the blaze, firefighters say.

According to Columbus Fire Department, the incident happened in the 1400 block of Franklin Street, when a neighbor on Lafayette Avenue noticed flames and called 911 for help at about 3:05 p.m. in the afternoon. The neighbor then alerted the owner of the single-story home, who was asleep at the time.

Columbus police were first on the scene and after ensuring the home was evacuated, they used fire extinguishers to knock down the flames on the home’s rear deck and vinyl siding. Firefighters arrived and used fire extinguishers to dampen any hot spots and removed materials to make sure the fire had not spread into the home.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined, but the homeowner said that a resident is a smoker and smokes outside near where the fire started. However, the smoker was not home at the time of the fire.

Damage to the home is estimated at $2,000. No one was injured.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department.