At around 2:30 PM today (April 17), chaos broke out on Neil Avenue in the Victorian Village neighborhood of Columbus. Screams for help and billowing smoke filled the air as a fast-moving house fire threatened to completely destroy a beautiful Victorian-style home, and potentially more. Passersby on foot, as well as those in cars driving by, quickly sprung into action, rushing to help get pets out of the house as the flames began spreading at an alarming pace.
But thanks to the quick thinking and compassion of two small business employees working nearby, what could have been a total loss turned into a much smaller — and far less devastating — situation.
Right Place, Right Time
Just about 200 feet down the road, family-owned Forza Roof Cleaning was pressure washing the exterior of a nearby apartment building (and doing a damn fine job at it, might I add — it looks great). When they saw the fire erupting, the Forza crew didn’t waste a second. They immediately unfurled their hose, grabbed their most powerful pressure washer, sprinted across the busy street, and started blasting the flames before the entire structure could go up in smoke.
Because of their fast action, the fire was knocked down before it could consume the home — and potentially spread to neighboring houses. Instead of a catastrophic loss, the family is left with a much smaller headache to deal with, and the neighborhood avoided what could have easily been millions of dollars in fire, smoke, and water damage.
Without Forza Roof Cleaning, this story could have had a much different ending.
Divine Intervention
What makes this story even more miraculous are all of the things that needed to lineup for Forza to be in a position to help.
For example, the employees mentioned to us that they were initially parked off of Neil on 2nd Avenue, likely out of reach of the house fire considering the length of their hoses. It wasn’t until a construction worker asked them to move that they were put within striking distance, just a few minutes before the potential disaster unfolded.
The employees were also just a few minutes away from finishing up the job on Neil and moving to their next location for the day. Had the fire started just a little earlier or later, the quick-thinking Forza crew would’ve never been there to help.
“Talk about Divine Intervention,” said one of the employees after the fire was put out. We couldn’t agree more!
Support the Heroes!
We know this isn’t the typical Step Out Columbus article, but we pride ourselves on highlighting small businesses who go above and beyond — and today, Forza Roof Cleaning quite literally saved the day. Huge shoutout to the Forza employees who jumped into action without hesitation and made an incredible difference in our community.
If you need your roof cleaned, your house washed, sidewalks pressure washed, or gutters cleared, you need to give Forza Roof Cleaning a call. Because if they can stop a house fire in its tracks, they can definitely handle whatever grime you throw at them.
This story is still developing — check back for updates.
🧼 Forza Roof Cleaning
📞 (888) 516-0008 |📍 7652 Sawmill Rd Suite 254, Dublin, OH 43016