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Fire destroys home in Columbus

Photo provided by Columbus Fire Department

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — A man escaped a fire that destroyed his home and took crews nearly 10 hours to put out.

The Columbus Fire Department responded to the fired in the 1500 block of South Drive shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday morning when the homeowner called 911 after he woke up to his smoke alarm.

Firefighters found heavy smoke coming from the basement of the home and attempted to push into the basement. However, due to the smoke volume, heat conditions and zero visibility, crews set up for a defensive fire attack from the exterior of the home, according to the Columbus Fire Department.

The fire burned through the ground floor and eventually caused a portion of the floor to collapse into the basement.

Officials said the house is a total loss with damage estimated at $270,000 and the cause of the fire is unknown.

The homeowner told investigators he grabbed one dog and a cat. The homeowner said he had another cat that sleeps in the basement and the fire department said investigators saw the cat, but it ran away.

The homeowner’s wife and four children weren’t at home at the time of the fire, according to the Columbus Fire Department.

No injuries were reported.