COLUMBUS – Columbus fire officials say an early-morning fire on the North Side that left a man critically injured Thursday was accidental, though they have not determined the exact source.
A neighbor who was heading to work spotted the fire in the home at 117 E. Blake Avenue and called 911 just after 6:31 a.m., Battalion Chief Steve Martin said.
One of the two adults living at the home was able to get out on her own from a second story window to the porch roof where Martin says firefighters rescued her but a 56-year-old man was found inside the home by firefighters and was carried out through a window and down a ladder, Martin said.
The man was taken to OSU Wexner Medical Center in critical condition with severe smoke inhalation but no burns, Martin said.
Fire Investigators determined the fire started in an upstairs bedroom but Martin says the exact ignition source had yet to be determined.
Martin says there were no working smoke alarms in the house. He says residents who are in need of a smoke alarm or wish to have their current alarms evaluated can call 614-724-0935 and firefighters will schedule a time to come out and install smoke alarms at no charge.