Columbia Fire Department firefighters answered several calls during a 24-hour stretch from Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon, including a fire that damaged a home on Church Street.
Fire Chief Jeff McKenzie said firefighters were called to the Bryce McClendon residence in the 500 block of Church Street around 8:30 p.m. Monday.
“The call came in as a vehicle fire,” McKenzie said. “The occupants were at home at the time of the blaze, and they said they had been cooking at the time of the fire. The kitchen is over the carport. The flames may have spread to the vehicle. There was food on the counter, so they may have been finished.”
McKenzie said as firefighters traveled to the scene, the nature of the call changed, according to McKenzie.
“We got en route and about 30 seconds later we heard on the radio that it wasn’t just the vehicle under the carport and that the house was on fire,” he said. “We got there and the whole carport was in engulfed in flames.”
Firefighters spent almost two hours on the scene. AAA Ambulance Service personnel stood by and the Columbia Police Department rerouted traffic on Church Street.
“There was damage to the carport and kitchen areas and the vehicle was completely destroyed,” McKenzie said,
Firefighters returned later, after initially clearing around 10:15 p.m.
“We got a call that apparently an ember in the attic reignited the fire,” McKenzie said. “There wasn’t much more damage. The State Fire Marshal came out Tuesday morning to check the scene. We don’t have his report yet.”
Firefighters also responded Tuesday morning to a report of smoke coming from the laundry room at the Marion Apartments off Second and Pittman streets. Light smoke reportedly came from a dryer or vent with dyer lint in it. Firefighters used fans to clear the smoke before returning to service less than 30 minutes later.
Pictured Above: Columbia firefighters spray a home at the corner of Church Street and West Avenue Monday night. The blaze, believed to have been started by cooking, destroyed a car in the carport. | Photo by Mark Rogers
