Two brothers escaped their second story apartment after being alerted to a fire on a wooden patio deck on Sunday morning. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters were called to the building in the 1600 block of Cottage Avenue, shortly before 11 a.m.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, the blaze had begun to melt the vinyl siding as well as the rubber membrane roof that the patio deck was built on top of. As firefighters advanced through the damaged patio door, they found heavy smoke and fire on the exterior wall of the apartment, as well as fire on the wood deck. Wilson says that 50 percent of the approximately 12’ x 8’ wooden patio structure was destroyed. The interior of the apartment sustained minor smoke and water damage.

Columbus Fire Department investigators determined that the accidental fire was caused by a cigarette discarded near combustible materials. Damages to the apartment are estimated at $25,000. No one was hurt.

Smoke alarms were found inside the property, though they did not sound during the fire. Wilson says that investigators manually tested the alarms and found that they sounded throughout the apartment. However, it was learned that the alarms were more than 10 years old. Firefighters say this incident illustrates the importance of replacing smoke alarms every 10 years or sooner.