Columbus Division of Fire

The firefighters' union and the city hired a fact finder last year to help find compromise on a pay raise. That fact finder recommended firefighters receive a 17.5% raise.

The two people were sleeping under a bridge in the area of Broad Street in downtown Columbus around 8:45 a.m. when the Scioto River started to rise.

Police allege Tyler Conners was negligent when he turned a fire truck left onto a turnaround from the middle lane of I-270 North in Gahanna on July 23, causing two vehicles to crash into the fire truck.

The city is working to hire a record number of police officers and firefighters.

Property owner Mohammad Ittayem sorted through the damage Monday morning as firefighters finished extinguishing the blaze.

Pyrotechnics that shoot in the air or explode and are self-propelled are illegal in Ohio. Sparklers, smoke bombs, snaps, snakes and sparkling fountains are allowed.

Columbus fire officials say crews were inside the building after a smaller initial collapse, then evacuated just before a much larger portion of the structure caved in.

“This is our peak season for house fires,” said Columbus Battalion Fire Chief Steve Martin. “And in the winter months, the main cause is going to mobile heating and other means of heating the houses.”

Hiring more police officers and firefighters is one of the goals for Mayor Andrew Ginther in the 2022 operating budget.

Ninety percent of the new cadets will be a person of color, a woman or both.