Columbus, Ohio Division of Fire was called to the scene of a natural gas explosion early Friday morning (6/22/18) in the neighborhood just east of downtown. The blast demolished one house and damaged several others, sending two people to the hospital in critical condition.
The destroyed house was supposed to be vacant, and investigators remained on scene attempting to determine the cause of the blast.
Firefighters from the cities of Columbus and Worthington (OH) twice responded to a north side Bob Evans restaurant for a fire. Crews had extinguished a fire that damaged the rear of the structure around 3 am, and were initially called back to check the location just before 10am. The first due units however, reported heavy smoke while en route and requested the full working assignment. The second fire completely destroyed the interior of the building, and took three aerials and several handlines over two hours to contain.
Units on scene:
ES2, Battalion 2, Battalion 7, Battalion 101, EMS12, SO2, PIO