The Columbus Fire Department responded to a fire at 227 E. 15th Ave. Sunday evening.
The Phi Kappa Theta fraternity house, located near the corner of 15th Avenue and Summit Street, suffered nearly $35,000 worth of damage after a candle was left unattended in a resident’s bedroom.
The resident noticed the smoke from his livingroom area and alerted the fraternity president, Jeff Harden, who then called 911 at 7:04 p.m.
Harden said he was pleased with the response time of the Columbus Fire Department.
“By the time I hung up with 911 and got people out, they had arrived,” he said. “They were right on top of everything, they were great.”
There were approximately 10 -15 people in the house at the time of the fire.
The blaze was contained by firefighters at 7:21 p.m., and the last firefighter left the scene at 9:01 p.m.
Harden also said the damage to the room was mainly material. The only other noticable damage was in the first floor hallway which was caused by smoke, and ivy that was burned around the window on the outside of the house.
The resident, whose name has not been released, is returning to his home in New York for a few weeks, and when he returns there will be another room in the fraternity house available for him.
Insurance adjustors are expected to be at the scene within 48 hours to assess the damage.
