Oil fire leads to $30k in damage to Columbus apartment

A fire in hot oil on a kitchen stove led to $30,000 in damage to a Central Avenue apartment complex Saturday night in Columbus.

Columbus firefighters were called to the apartments in the 3600 block of Central Avenue at just after 8:30 Saturday night and found smoke and flames coming from a kitchen window. All residents were already out of the four apartments, says Capt. Mike Wilson.

The fire was quickly knocked down and investigators discovered that a resident had placed frozen food in a pan of hot oil, causing the oil to splatter and ignite nearby combustible materials. Wilson said the damage was confined to the single apartment including extensive damage to the kitchen.

No injuries were reported and Wilson said the apartment had a working smoke detector.