Large fire breaks out at abandoned Ohio water park

COLUMBUS — Firefighters battled a massive fire at an abandoned water park in Columbus Monday morning.

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The Columbus Division of Fire was called to Fort Rapids Indoor WaterPark Resorts at 4560 Hilton Corporate Drive sometime before midnight on a report of a strange odor, according to our news partners at WBNS.

Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Jeffrey Geitter said the fire happened in the tower.

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He said that it’s too early to determine the cause of the fire, but arson investigators have been called to the scene.

The former hotel and indoor water park shut down in 2016 due to health, safety, and fire code violations, according to WBNS.

It has had a history of violations and issues that caused many health problems among guests.

From 2015 and early 2016, guests at the water park complained about getting sick with complaints ranging from asthma attacks and bronchitis to vomiting.

The current owners bought the property in 2017 after the water park was shuttered, but never reopened the business.

The city took legal action against the property owners to get them to bring it back into compliance. Owners have been incurring fines since August 2022.

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