COLUMBUS, Neb. (Press Release) -- A house in Platte County is a total loss following a Sunday evening fire. 

Shortly after 9 p.m. Sunday, March 16, 2025, Columbus Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a small outside fire in the area of 31st Avenue and 33rd Street.

While enroute, the first due company was advised there were multiple callers who reported that they saw lots of smoke and flames and that they were not sure if it was a house on fire or not. The decision was made to upgrade the call to a residential structure fire at that time.

The first arriving unit found a two-story residential structure with heavy fire and smoke showing from the side and the rear of the house, Gray noted. Crews immediately deployed and began an aggressive fire attack and were able to limit the spread of the fire to the area of origin, despite heavy fire involvement in the attic space.

“All residents were able to make it safely out of the home before the fire department’s arrival,” Gray said, noting the home had working smoke detectors. “Crews were able to save one pet.”

The fire chief said one occupant was transported to the hospital for a medical emergency and has since been discharged as of Monday morning, Mar. 17, 2025. He also noted one firefighter was transported to the hospital for an injury and has been discharged.

Five adults and one child were displaced by this fire. The American Red Cross was called to provide support to the residents.

The Sunday night incident reiterated the importance of the Charlie Louis Fire Station being fully-staffed since May 2024, as well as CFD’s reserve firefighters.

“Our operations have changed significantly since staffing the Charlie Louis fire station 24/7, we can quickly deploy multiple apparatus to incidents like this and having those additional firefighters on scene in the early minutes of a fire make all the difference,” Gray said. “Reserve firefighters routinely provide additional apparatus and personnel for these incidents, there responses are greatly appreciated and impactful to our operations.”

The Columbus Fire Department is urging residents to make sure their smoke detectors are working at home after they helped save lives over the weekend.

“I cannot state this enough, smoke detectors save lives!” CFD Chief Ryan Gray said. “It is imperative to have these devices installed and in working order in your homes.”