COLUMBIA — When the shower water inexplicably turned off, one man knew something was wrong.
So after grabbing a white bath towel, he left the bathroom, only to be stopped by a thick cloud of black smoke, said Battalion Chief Gary Warren of the Columbia Fire Department. The only option was breaking a bedroom window and jumping out onto the lawn.
The fire department responded shortly after 6:15 p.m. Wednesday to the residential structure fire at 603B Washington Ave., Warren said.
The man was treated at the scene and released after suffering minor lacerations to his right forearm and lower legs, according to a Fire Department news release. The other three residents at home at the time were able to escape without injury. A fifth resident was not home at the time, according to the release.
Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire within about 20 minutes. Warren said they had yet to determine the cause of the fire and did not know the names of the residents. A damage estimate was also unavailable, but the residential structure had “significant damage throughout,” according to the release.
The residents will receive assistance from the Red Cross, according to the release.