Sunday night fire damages 18th Ave. house

COLUMBUS �” More than two dozen Columbus firefighters spent less than an hour dousing a residential fire Sunday night in temperatures hovering around 10 degrees with a heavy mist falling.

The wood-framed, two-bedroom home at 1471 18th Ave. sustained extensive heat and smoke damage during the fire, Columbus Fire Chief Dean Hefti reported this morning.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, with the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office called in to conduct the probe.

A preliminary investigation revealed the origin of the fire, but couldn’t determine the cause, Hefti said. “We’ll let the fire marshal do his job.”

The 6:47 p.m. structure fire was discovered in the living room of the residence when the man who lives there returned home, Hefti said.

The man who lives in the home, whose name has not been released, went to a neighbor’s residence to call 911 and report the fire, the fire chief said. Twenty-six professional and volunteer firefighters responded, extinguishing the blaze in about 20 minutes.

The interior crew did a good job knocking down the fire and the other crews came in and cleaned it up, Hefti said. Firefighters shut off the home’s electricity, natural gas and water while working on the fire scene.

The fire left the home uninhabitable, the chief said.

According to Platte County records, the home is owned by Kenneth R. Moersen and is valued at $60,655.