COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Columbus Fire Investigators have ruled an east Columbus fire that left one woman dead on Saturday accidental.
The Columbus Division of Fire determined that the fire occurred just before 4:30 p.m. in the 1100 block of Lancer Way due to unattended cooking oil on a stove.
Two males and a female were in an apartment when a pan of recently used cooking oil was unattended and ignited, according to Columbus Fire.
Fire investigators said that the two men made it down the stairs to exit the apartment but the female was afraid of the thick smoke and refused to come down.
The woman also did not jump out the window after being urged too, per Columbus Fire.
Investigators explained that weather conditions resulted in a wind tunnel, which made the environment in the apartment untenable.
Firefighters had to extinguish flames at the first and second floor windows and were unable to rescue the woman.
This was the fourth fire fatality in Columbus this year.
