COLUMBUS -- A Clear Lake apartment duplex south of Columbus was severely damaged overnight as dozens of area firefighters spent several hours battling a blaze blamed initially on a faulty chimney.
The Nebraska Fire Marshal’s Office was looking at the chimney of a wood-burning stove as the likely cause of the 3 a.m. fire, said Columbus firefighter Dave Hogelin this morning.
Two men living in the duplex apartments were at home at the time of the fire, but were not injured. The duplex could not be occupied by the tenants after the fire was extinguished.
Firefighters from the Bellwood Fire Department were the first responders at the fire scene five miles south of Columbus along U.S. Highway 81. A mutual aid call then went out to area departments, drawing firefighters from Columbus, David City and Rising City.
Flames and smoke were coming out of the duplex building when Columbus firefighters arrived, Hogelin said, adding that about 30 firefighters from area communities responded to the call.
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