TOLEDO, Ohio — Crews are fighting a large fire tearing through a house in south Toledo late Thursday night.
Significant flames are visible through the roof of the house on Colburn Street near Chapin Street. Our WTOL 11 crews saw smoke from The Docks and smelled the fire from the Craig Street Bridge.
The call came in around 10:39 p.m. Officials say the caller stated that there was a building on fire and that he had "seen a female running from the location."
Five crews with the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department responded to the call. When the first crews arrived, the second story of the house was already fully engulfed, TFRD Battalion Chief Luke Harman told WTOL 11 on the scene. Water was reported on the fire at 10:42 p.m.
Firefighters did a sweep of the house to make sure it was clear, before leaving the building as the situation was determined to be too dangerous to stay inside, Harman said. They do not yet know where the fire began. An arson investigator is currently on scene.
A partial collapse occurred shortly before 11:45 p.m.
By midnight, crews ended efforts to extinguish the fire using water. The fire does not pose a threat to any other buildings.
Columbia Gas has responded to the fire. Columbia Gas crews say the gas has been turned off to the structure for about a year or so, but a fire official said that electricity had been turned on a few weeks ago.
Neighbors say the duplex had been vacant for some time, but squatters have been known to seek shelter there.
Right now, there is no official word from authorities to confirm if the house was occupied by residents, the cause of the fire or if there are any injuries.
We are working to bring you the latest and any information as soon as we receive it on air, online and on our free WTOL 11 News app.
This is a developing story.
