Early Christmas morning brought tragedy and a light touch of hope to an East Columbus neighborhood when a fire sprang up in a residence on Winner Avenue. Responding to the blaze just after midnight, firefighters quickly sprang into action in the King-Lincoln Bronzeville area, rescuing multiple dogs from the three-story structure. While the property suffered significant damage, the human occupants had already evacuated, and no injuries were reported. The startling events were dutifully noted by NBC4i and ABC6, which provided details on the incident.
Chief Getter of Columbus Fire indicated that the fire started around 1 a.m. on the first floor and rapidly escalated to the second and third floors, culminating in a ravaged roof. "The occupant was out of the building when crews arrived," Getter stated, according to a post by ABC6. Although five dogs were rescued, the aftermath was not completely bright; two dogs did not survive the fire. The affected unit, reported to be under construction, will require a closer look by fire officials to determine the root cause of the devastation.
The spirit of service shone through the somber occasion, as reflected in a social media post by the Columbus Division of Fire, which said, "Santa wasn’t the only person serving the public on Christmas this year." Firefighters faced four working fires within 24 hours, including this incident near Winner and Broad Street. The same post, shared on the Columbus Division of Fire Facebook page, extended gratitude to all the supporting agencies while confirming the positive outcome of no human injuries and the dogs' reunion with their owner.
