Fire fighters arrived and observed light smoke inside the second story apartment. Fire crews discovered a smoldering fire in the void space between the first and second floor. Crews were forced to remove a portion of the ceiling in Apartment 3 to access the fire, which was quickly extinguished. There was minor damage to the deck and floor joists of Apartment 7, with water and ceiling damage to Apartment 3.

Occupants stated that a BBQ grill was used on the wooden deck last evening. The occupant awakened at 11:00 a.m. this morning and quickly noticed a smoke odor inside the apartment. Upon investigation, smoke was discovered coming from the front deck and void space. Occupants of the building attempted to extinguish the fire, using pans of water, for more than one hour before calling the fire department for assistance. The fire had progressed into the void space to a point where it was not accessible without the use of specialized fire fighting tools and equipment.

Fires which begin on the exterior of a structure can be particularly dangerous to the occupants due to the delay in discovery, notification of occupants, and reporting of the fire.

There were no injuries and damage is estimated at $1,000. The building is owned by Calloway and Gallahan, and the occupant of Apartment 7 is Tony Black.

Investigators from the Columbia Fire Department-Fire Marshals Division were on-scene and have determined the cause to be smoldering embers from the BBQ grill coming into contact with the combustible desk surface.