Investigators said that embers from a barbecue grill were the cause of a fire on Friday that caused $150,000 in damage to a southwest Columbia home.
The fire originated from a small storage area that connected the house to the garage, said Battalion Chief Steven Sapp of the Columbia Fire Department. When firefighters responded at 8:41 p.m. Friday, they found a fire with smoke pouring out of the garage and roof of a single-story home in the 1300 block of St. Andrews Street, Sapp said.
Homeowners Zach and Havan Rodeman and their two children, who were inside at the time of the fire, escaped unharmed. The family will live with relatives until the house can be repaired, Sapp said.