COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Columbus Fire Department (CFD) was called to Sims Court, near the intersection of Marr Road and 25th Street, when a possible structure fire was reported at Bloomfield Apartments on Monday afternoon. When firefighters arrived, they saw light smoke from the exterior of a third-floor apartment balcony.
Crews entered the building and reported light smoke inside a third-floor apartment but no flames. They saw more smoke as they reached that balcony. Believing that the wall-mounted air-conditioning unit may have caused the smoke, CFD removed the trim around the unit and saw smoke coming from a nearby receptacle.
Firefighters removed part of the exterior wall panel, discovering wood charring and burned electrical lines inside the wall. They disconnected the power and applied water to cool the charred area.
Investigators learned that the apartment’s tenant smelled smoke but could not see signs of fire. Smoke began to enter the apartment from the balcony patio door and the tenant called 9-1-1.
When fire crews got there, occupants were already clear of the building. Due to the damage to the electrical system, the power to the apartment was disconnected. The tenant will be temporarily displaced.
Bloomfield management told CFD that repairs to the apartment would be initiated and no other units would be affected.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the electrical fire is undetermined at this time.
