COLUMBUS, Ind. — An electrical fire that broke out at an apartment complex in Columbus has left one person displaced Monday afternoon.
Firefighters with the Columbus Fire Department were dispatched around 2:39 p.m. to the 4200 block of Sims Court, the address for Bloomfield Apartments, in response to reports of a possible structure fire.
When they arrived on the scene, CFD said firefighters observed light smoke emanating from the exterior of the balcony from an apartment located on the third floor.
Firefighters found no flames when they entered the building despite the presence of smoke inside the third-floor apartment, CFD said.
Firefighters continued investigating, which led them to consider if a wall-mounted air conditioning unit was the source of the fire. They later found that smoke appeared to be emerging from a nearby electrical receptacle.
After removing sections of the exterior wall panel, CFD said firefighters uncovered “heavy wood charring” and “burned electrical lines” within the wall.
As part of their cleanup, firefighters proceeded to pick up scattered debris from the second-floor balcony and first-floor patio caused by the removal of the wall panel on the third floor.
CFD said the tenant reported smelling smoke but did not see any flames indicating a fire was active. The tenant decided to contact 911 when they witnessed smoke entering the apartment from the balcony patio door.
Damages are estimated to be worth less than $5,000.
CFD confirmed the tenant would be temporarily displaced. No other injuries were reported. The exact cause of the electrical fire remains under investigation.
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