Fire that destroyed three Columbia homes started in backyard, investigation shows
Investigators have discovered where the fire that destroyed multiple homes started, but the cause of Tuesday’s blaze remains under investigation, the Columbia Fire Department said.
Three Richland County homes were destroyed in the fire, and two others were damaged by the heat of the flames, The State reported.
Less than a day after the fire on Founders Lake Court off Summit Ridge Drive, the Richland County Fire Marshal said the blaze originated in the backyard of one of the homes, near an air conditioning unit, the Fire Department said on Twitter.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Foul play and arson are not suspected in the fire, according to the tweet.
But the impact of the fire has left three families without homes and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage, Fire Department spokesman Mike DeSumma said in an interview with The State.
About 50 firefighters responded to the subdivision after the blaze was reported just before 7 p.m., DeSumma said.
The two-alarm fire started in one house and quickly spread to two others, DeSumma said. Two more homes were damaged by the heat of the fire, which was under control by about 8 p.m., the Fire Department reported.
“It ripped through three homes,” DeSumma said of the houses that were deemed total losses.
The houses that were destroyed were next to each other, in between the two that suffered heat damage, the fire department said. The heat damage caused visible harm to the roof and siding of those homes, according to DeSumma.
No civilians were injured by the smoke and flames, but one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and is believed to be OK, DeSumma said.
Sixteen people, including three children, were displaced from their homes by the blaze, the Fire Department tweeted.
DeSumma said the Red Cross was contacted and was working with the families who were displaced by the fire.
That aid includes “providing financial assistance for food, clothing, lodging and other essentials, and comfort kits containing personal hygiene items,” according to a news release from the Red Cross.
