COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A house fire quickly turned into a two-alarm blaze and residents in neighboring homes were evacuated.
NBC 4 reported with the FAST FACTS.
Columbus fire crews were called to a home on the 2500 block of Glen Echo Drive on the city's North Side just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Officials said the fire likely started on the first floor of the home but were unsure of the cause. It was not believed to be suspicious in nature currently.
No one was inside the home at the time of the blaze.
At one point, fire crews thought the elderly homeowner was inside but determined otherwise.
The flames quickly spread to neighboring homes, leading fire officials to report a two-alarm fire.
The fire was contained within 45 minutes, and 60 firefighters were on hand.
A crew continued to fight hot spots for hours after the fire was contained.
Witnesses said they've never seen anything like it.
"I heard a popping sound, and I looked towards my bedroom window. There was just an orange glow going out there. So I ran to the window to take a look, and of course, there were just flames -- just everywhere," witness Louie Cowan said.
"It was scary. I saw the warm glow reflecting from my house. But the thing that woke me up was the smoke and the heavy duty water going on and off, and I'm not sure exactly was that was, but it was scary," Pam Maltinsky said.
The home was completely destroyed by the fire, and a few neighboring homes sustained damage.
The American Red Cross was at the scene, helping the residents evacuated from their homes.
CFD Lieutenant Greg Lee was injured during the incident. He was transported to Grant Medical Center and was treated for a shoulder injury. He was released Wednesday morning.
Damage to the fire structure was set at $120,000, according to CFD. The neighboring homes' damages were set at $12,000 and $20,000.
Officials continued to investigate.
For additional information on this developing story, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
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