Two people were critically injured after a house fire tore through a home on the 1000 block of East Fulton Street in east Columbus Sunday morning, near the Old Towne East neighborhood. Columbus Division of Fire crews were called to the block around 11:30 a.m. and transported the victims to a nearby hospital. The fire originated in a cigarette bin on the home's front porch, according to Columbus fire Lt. Nick Davis.
Fire Station 2 on East Fulton Street
According to NBC4 WCMH-TV, Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Brian Barnhart confirmed crews were dispatched to the 1000 block of East Fulton Street Sunday morning, where they found the structure fire already underway. A follow-up report from 10TV WBNS clarified that two individuals were critically injured in the blaze and transported to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; crews had been called to the block around 11:30 a.m.
Columbus Fire Station 2 is on East Fulton Street and was rebuilt in 2017 as part of an $8.9 million project, per WCBE 90.5 FM.
Why Victims Were Sent to OSU Wexner
The hospital's University Hospital campus operates Central Ohio's only adult burn center alongside a Level I trauma center, according to Advantis Medical Staffing.
Both victims were in critical condition when they were transported, and no additional details on their identities or specific injuries have been released.
A City Fire Department Under Constant Strain
The Fulton Street fire lands amid a department that handles enormous call volume citywide. The Columbus Division of Fire operates 36 stations across seven battalions, covering a population of over 938,000 residents across 220 square miles, per GovHR USA. In 2024 alone, the department responded to nearly 145,000 emergency medical calls, and 55% of treated patients were ultimately transported to hospital emergency rooms, according to the City of Columbus.
Sunday's fire also follows a string of serious residential blazes across the city this year. A September 5 house fire in North Linden resulted in one fatality, an incident Hoodline covered in coverage of that Aberdeen Avenue blaze. Battalion Chief Brian Barnhart confirmed crews were dispatched to the Fulton Street scene.
Columbus landlords must install smoke alarms in rental properties.
No further updates on the victims' conditions or the fire's cause have been released as of Sunday afternoon.
