Columbia Fire Department officials have confirmed that one of their firefighters was transported to the hospital following an overnight structure fire in the 1600 block of East Business Loop 70. The news release stated that the fire department was alerted to the incident at around 2:13 a.m on Friday and upon arrival, they found a construction trailer fully engulfed in flames.
Despite the best efforts of firefighters, who were able to bring the fire under control within eight minutes of reaching the scene, no other injuries were reported during the incident. The Columbia Fire Department stated that fire marshals are currently conducting an investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
A total of nine Columbia fire units and 18 personnel responded to the scene to contain the blaze. As a safety precaution, crews closed East Business Loop 70 between Paris Road and Edison Street at 2:29 a.m., but there was no information available regarding when the road was reopened to traffic.
