A fire left two homes damaged in downtown Columbus Friday evening.

According to the Columbus Fire Department, a passerby noticed flames coming from the carport at a home in the 900 block of Chestnut Street and alerted the homeowner. The resident tried to fight the fire with a garden hose, and firefighters were called to the scene at about 5:52 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the carport was fully engulfed in flames and was melting the vinyl siding on a neighboring home.

Firefighters began knocking down the flames outside and found that the fire had spread inside the first home. Inside they encountered high heat and low visibility, with the fire seemingly concentrated in a bedroom. But as they removed part of the ceiling they discovered it was burning inside a hidden void that had been created over the life of the home. After cutting through the roof they were able to put the fire out.

The original home was found to be unlivable after the fire and a neighboring apartment was also damaged. Eight people were displaced from their homes by the fire and received assistance from the American Red Cross to find shelter.

No one was injured and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Photo courtesy of Columbus Fire Department