One injured, brought to hospital after duplex fire on Scott Boulevard in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
One person was injured and brought to an area hospital after a duplex caught fire Tuesday evening in the 10 block of South Scott Boulevard.
Columbia Fire Chief Clayton Farr Jr. told ABC 17 News that the extent of that person's injuries were not known. The injured person was found inside the duplex when firefighters arrive, Farr said. They were initially given aid outside the duplex before being brought to the hospital.
Smoke could be seen from near Park De Ville Drive. The Columbia Fire Department was called to Scott Boulevard around 8 p.m. Firefighters saw flames going through the roof of the building when they arrived. The fire was eventually brought under control. An ABC 17 News reporter saw at least six fire trucks at the scene.
Fire marshals were on the scene and are investigating the cause of the fire. Estimated damage costs were not available.
"Most of the damage is on the rear and on the rear portion of the residence," Farr said. "So, there is quite a bit of damage that investigators will have to sift through to try to determine exactly what may have happened,"
Boone County Joint Communications sent an alert at 8:31 p.m. stating that a portion of Scott Boulevard was closed because of the fire. Farr said he expected fire crews to be in the area until midnight.
A resident, DJ Lynch, told ABC 17 News that he witnessed the fire while on his way to deliver a Grubhub order. Lynch said he remembers seeing and smelling something "funny," and knew that he couldn't continue driving.
Lynch said with the help of other neighbors, he was able to help two people on the opposite side of the duplex out safely and attempted to help the third -- who was eventually rescued by firefighters and brought to an area hospital.
"There was a lot of smoke, I didn't see flames until I came outside and saw them up through the roof," Lynch said. "But we felt the glass, it was hot and my instincts were get in there, try and get the person because they kept saying if there's a car, there's a person, and there was a car in the garage."
