Blaze destroys several homes in Columbia subdivision, fire officials say
Three homes were destroyed by a large fire Tuesday in a Richland County subdivision, the Columbia Fire Department said.
About 50 firefighters responded to a call just before 7 p.m. about a blaze on Founders Lake Court off Summit Ridge Drive, spokesman Mike DeSumma said in an interview with The State.
“It ripped through three homes,” DeSumma said.
The two-alarm fire started in one house and quickly spread to two others, DeSumma said. A fourth and fifth homes were damaged by the heat of the fire, which was under control by about 8 p.m., the Fire Department reported.
Firefighters remained on the scene putting out hot spots, according to DeSumma.
No civilians were injured by the smoke and flames, but one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion, DeSumma said.
Information on the firefighter’s condition was not available.
Sixteen people, including three children, were displaced from their homes by the blaze, the Fire Department tweeted.
No estimate has been placed on the damage caused by the fire, but the three homes are total losses, the Fire Department said.
The Richland County Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the fire and on Wednesday determined the blaze started near an air conditioner in the backyard of one of the homes, the fire department said on Twitter.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but “foul play is not suspected,” according to the tweet.
Check back for updates, this is a developing story.
This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 8:29 PM.
