Firefighters and police racing to a fire alarm at an occupied apartment building on Harrisburg Pike in southwest Columbus on Tuesday didn't find just one fire — they found several, spread across the building from a second-floor unit down to the front lobby. By the time crews got the flames under control, at least 11 Columbus police officers had been evaluated for smoke inhalation, and one tenant was under arrest, accused of deliberately setting the blazes and then blocking others from getting out.
Multiple Fires Found Throughout the Building
Columbus fire crews were called to the apartment building in the 1600 block of Harrisburg Pike around 3 p.m. Tuesday after a structure-fire report, according to a report citing local coverage. Firefighters and police responding to the alarm found multiple fires inside the building, WSYX reports. Columbus Fire forced entry into Apartment 2K, which court documents identified as the residence of Oyintarimobowei David Osuobeni, and discovered a fire on top of the kitchen stove, with paperwork burning and the stove controls left in the on position.
The blaze wasn't confined to that one apartment. Additional fires were found in the front lobby and on a second-floor stairway leading to an exit — placements investigators noted sat directly along routes residents would need to escape the building.
Property Manager Describes Barricaded Exit
According to court documents, the property manager told investigators she saw Osuobeni holding a lighter, moving tables to barricade the front lobby doors, and interfering with occupants who were trying to evacuate. She reported seeing Osuobeni — and no other person — in the immediate area where the lobby fire was set, a detail investigators cited directly in building their case.
Court documents state there was probable cause to believe Osuobeni committed aggravated arson, with that probable cause based on the multiple fires found in the occupied building, the placement of fires near means of egress, Osuobeni being observed holding a lighter, and the reported barricading of the lobby doors. Under Ohio's aggravated-arson statute, the offense includes creating a substantial risk of serious physical harm to another person, causing physical harm to an occupied structure, or creating a substantial risk of physical harm to an occupied structure through an agreement for hire or other consideration.
Officers, Residents Treated for Smoke Inhalation
At least 11 Columbus police officers were evaluated by EMS for smoke inhalation while searching the building for Osuobeni, the same court documents state. Multiple civilian occupants were also evaluated for smoke inhalation.
The building's sprinkler system activated and helped contain the fire, and no injuries were ultimately reported, per the same account. Osuobeni was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday at 9 a.m. in courtroom 4D on the aggravated arson charge.
The incident adds to a string of apartment fires that have drawn scrutiny in Columbus this year; a two-alarm blaze at a north Columbus apartment complex in March sent 11 people to the hospital, three of whom died, according to NBC4 WCMH-TV. That earlier fire remains a separate case, but it underscores how quickly apartment fires in the city can turn deadly when residents can't get out fast enough.
