While the Ohio State community is still recovering from April 13’s fire on 17th Avenue, another fire occurred a little before midnight Saturday on 62 E. Woodruff Ave.
The fire, which was ruled to be an accident by the Columbus Division of Fire, is the third fire near the OSU campus in the last three weeks.
A small crowd had gathered around the house as the firemen fought the fire. Some of the observers said there were not a lot of flames to be seen.
“A lot of it was smoke,” said J. Flynn, the fire battalion chief.
All of the seven residents who lived in the building escaped safely, said Bill Hall, the vice president for Student Affairs. Five of the seven were Ohio State students, one was attending Columbus State and one was the house manager, Hall said.
According to Flynn, a burner on the stove, which was left on, was the cause of the fire. He said he estimated damages to be around $30,000.
Within an hour of the fire, the Red Cross arrived at the scene.
Red Cross representatives have to follow certain procedures, said Fred Ball, a spokesperson for the Red Cross.
As a part of the disaster action team, representatives must first survey the building, Ball said. Then they send their results to the Red Cross center. Those at the center examine the results, and then they decide how they could help the victims of the fire.
Those who lived in the residence found a secure place to stay last night, said Barbara Rich, the assistant vice president for Student Affairs. OSU will work with the students to make sure they have a permanent place to stay, even if it includes trying to find a new residence.
Flynn said some work will be done on the house, and once the work is finished the residents will be able to move back in.
