Current Conditions
48°F - CLEAR
(519) (26) (17) (11) (6)
Neighbors noticed smoke spewing from the front windows at 540 Walnut St. and called 911 about 3:15 p.m.
Fire crews responded and contained the flames to three rear rooms on the second floor, Columbia fire Chief Scott Ryno said. The row home is split into an apartment on the first floor and one on the second floor.
Both apartments were unoccupied when the fire broke out.
Adjacent homes at 538 and 542 Walnut St. sustained minor damage, officials said. One of the homes is vacant, while the occupants in the other home fled when they became aware of the fire.
Ryno said the fire started accidentally in a rear room of the upstairs apartment at 540 Walnut St. The family of four who lives in the apartment had left the unit about 2 p.m., the chief said.
Damages were estimated at $60,000 to the row home at 540 Walnut St. and $5,000 apiece to the neighboring homes.
First-responders encountered heavy smoke from the upstairs windows and flames in the back of the second-floor apartment at 540 Walnut St. They entered the row home at that address with hoses and knocked down the flames within 30 minutes of dispatch.
Borough officials have condemned 540 Walnut St. until restorations are made, Ryno said.
Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal Brian Herr was investigating the source of the blaze Tuesday night.
Firefighters from Wrightsville, Maytown, Marietta, Washington Boro and Mountville assisted Columbia's crew at the scene.
No injuries were reported. A Susquehanna Valley EMS team was there on standby.
Crews cleared the block just before 6 p.m.
E-mail: bhambright@lnpnews.com
