Retirement center fire leads to evacuation

A fire led to an evacuation Thursday of a retirement home in Columbus.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, they were called to the Four Seasons Retirement Center on Taylor Road at about 10:36 a.m. Thursday morning after a smoke alarm went off. The center’s staff discovered that a water heater was on fire in a utility closet. Smoke began filling the building and residents were evacuated. Staff also turned off power to the water heater and closed the center’s fire doors.

Firefighters used thermal imaging scanning to locate the fire in a control panel. It was put out with water fire extinguishers. The building was ventilated to make sure all harmful gases were removed.

The fire was isolated to the water heater and did not cause any more damage to the building. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but firefighters believe it was electrical in nature.

No injuries were reported

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department