Overland Park Police rescued one person and evacuated several others after a fire broke out in the Perry 81 Apartments on Thursday morning. Emergency crews were called to the building at 8025 Perry Street at 7:55 a.m.
"First fire units on the scene reported heavy smoke showing from the two-story apartment building with Overland Park Police effecting rescues and evacuations," said Jason Rhodes, Media Manager for the Overland Park Fire Department.
The fire is believed to have started in a second-floor unit and then spread to the building's attic.
Firefighters from Lenexa and Shawnee were called in to assist as part of a second-alarm assignment.
"It took crews over an hour to bring the fire under control as firefighters had to dig out deep-seated fire in the attic void spaces and chimney areas," Rhodes said. "Overland Park Police bravely assisted with a rescue and evacuations." Firefighters rescued a dog from one apartment. No injuries were reported.
Residents from 10 apartments have been displaced and are working with apartment management to find housing.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and a damage estimate has not been released.
A second-floor apartment left heavily damaged by the fire.
Overland Park Fire Department Battalion 45.
Firefighters were evacuated from the building before the aerials unleased on the chimney fire.
Two Overland Park Fire Department aerial units were used to douse the building from above.
Firefighters await their next assignment as the aerial ladders pour water on the building.
Fire trucks and hose lines strewn through the complex parking lot.
Firefighters rotate in and out of the building.
Firefighters work on the back side of the building.
The fire spread to all three of the building's chimneys.
A balcony on the back of the building was used to help firefighters get on the roof
A fire department drone watches from above as a firefighter works on the roof
Firefighters inspect a section of the attic above the stairwell.
A firefighter uses a chainsaw to access a void in the attic space
Shawnee Fire's 'Engine 71' returns to the scene after using a nearby hydrant to refill
Firefighters from Lenexa, Overland Park, and a Shawnee Battalion Chief were called to The Retreat at Woodridge Apartments in the 8800 block of Hauser Drive at 3:24 Sunday afternoon.
In a news release, Lenexa Deputy Fire Chief Scott Hoch says firefighters arrived at 3:27 to find a fire in one first-floor apartment of the three-story building.
Lenexa Police assisted firefighters with evacuating 16 apartments in the building.
Deputy Chief Hoch says firefighters rescued one dog as they worked to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters attempted to resuscitate the dog in front of the building, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Firefighters used fans to remove brown smoke from inside the fire apartment
The fire was reported to be under control at 3:40 p.m. and out at 3:51 p.m. Other residents of the building were able to return to their apartments after the fire was extinguished.
Damage from the fire, smoke, and water was confined to one first floor apartment according to the news release.
Fire investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire, and a damage estimate has not been determined.
The Red Cross is assisting three residents who were displaced.
A Shawnee firefighter enters the front door as an Overland Park Firefighter feeds in more hose line.
Firefighters from Shawnee, Overland Park, and Lenexa were called to the duplex at 6663 Park Street just after 4 p.m. The first crews to arrive on the scene reported heavy fire on the rear of the structure.
Crews worked for about 20 minutes to bring the fire under control and no one was injured.
Shawnee Fire Marshal Corey Sands says damage to the building is estimated at $185,000 currently. The other half of the duplex also sustained smoke damage.
"The fire started on the outside and was caused by fireplace ashes being stored under the deck and next to combustibles," Sands said. "This fire is a good reminder that fireplace ashes can stay hot for days and should be placed in a metal container well away from anything combustible."
A stretch of 67th Street between Pflumm Road and Cottonwood Drive was closed as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire.
A passerby called 911 after seeing smoke from the building's roof just before 9:30 a.m.
Firefighters from Shawnee, Overland Park, and Lenexa responded to the building located at 7404 Nieman Road and reported light smoke visible on arrival.
The fire was extinguished in about 10 minutes.
Shawnee Fire Marshal Corey Sands says crews extinguished a grease fire in the kitchen and no one was inside the building at the time.
Firefighters had to use a side door to access the kitchen. There is no access to the kitchen through the front door of the building.
One lane of southbound Nieman Road was blocked by Shawnee police, due to a fire hydrant and water supply hose being in the street. The lane was back open shortly after 10 a.m.
The building sustained smoke damage throughout. A damage estimate was not immediately available. No injuries were reported.
Fire Marshal Corey Sands says firefighters were alerted of the fire by calls to
911 about 9:30 p.m. Those calls were followed closely by a call from an alarm
company reporting the building’s fire alarm had activated.
“Our crews arrived to find fire on the outside of the building, where the
construction is occurring at the high school,” Sands said. “They got it taken
care of pretty quick.”
Sands said the fire had extended to the roofline of the building, which
firefighters also caught and extinguished quickly.
Firefighters retrieve equipment off of one apparatus.
Additional photos below report.
Unified School District 232 sent an email to families in the district informing
them of the fire. The message says that the fire occurred on the outside of the
building in an area where demolition work is underway for the addition of a
competitive gymnasium.
“We are grateful that our emergency systems worked as planned, which is why the
fire department arrived so quickly,’ the statement said. “There were no school
activities taking place at the time of the fire and no fire damage to the
interior.”
After hearing that several neighbors were talking about how they could smell
smoke earlier in the evening, Fire Marshal Sands said, “we would encourage
people if you do smell smoke, call 911.”
Sands said if the smell of smoke had been reported sooner, firefighters would
have responded to investigate and worked to locate the source.
Fire investigators say the fire was caused by demolition crews using torches and saws to remove metal structural components.
"The metal and roofing material that was demolished was then placed in a pile up against the exterior wall of the high school," Fire Marshal Sands said. "The roofing material and foam roofing pieces used to insulate the roof actually insulated the fire for several hours when it was placed in a pile after the demolition."
Damage to the building is estimated at $2,500
Shawnee firefighters were assisted on the call by the Lenexa Fire Department
and Overland Park Fire Department. Johnson County Med-Act was on scene with two
ambulances and their firefighter rehabilitation unit due to the heat and
humidity.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters on scene awaiting their next assignment
The fire and large response from firefighters attracted a large crowd.
Firefighters work on the roof of the building.
The Lenexa Fire Department's mobile ventilation unit of 'Vent 94' was
brought in to help remove smoke from the building.
Johnson County Med-Act Paramedics established a firefighter rehabilitation area.
All firefighters cycle through this area between rotations. This allows them to hydrate
and have their vitals monitored
Johnson County Med-Act transported two men to an area burn center after they were injured in a flash fire on Friday afternoon.
The Overland Park Fire Department says the fire at 8421 Kessler Street was reported shortly before 1 p.m. Firefighters from the Lenexa Fire Department also responded to assist.
Jason Rhodes, Media Manager of the Overland Park Fire Department, says arriving firefighters found smoke coming from the duplex two men with burn injuries in front of the building.
"Medical crews went to work on the patients, while fire crews attacked a fire in the basement on the north duplex," Rhodes said. "Both patients were quickly transported and the fire was knocked down in a matter of minutes."
Rhodes says both men were transported by ambulance to the University of Kansas Medical Center Burn Unit. One man is in critical condition, the other is in stable condition.
"Investigators believe the two were working with a paint sprayer in the basement utility area and that the fumes from the sprayer made contact with an open flame from the furnace, causing a flash fire," Rhodes said.
Fire damage was largely contained to the basement area with minor extension to the living area.
"The fire unit is uninhabitable, but residents of the south duplex unit will be able to reoccupy," Rhodes said. "An adult female and two children also reside in the damaged unit, but were not home at the time of the fire."
Firefighters want to remind everyone to keep flammable substances away from open flames, always follow precautions on product labels, and to use these products in well-ventilated areas.
Posted: September 10, 2014 - 2:26am Updated: September 10, 2014 - 4:23am
Firefighters from Overland Park, Merriam, and Lenexa responded on two-alarm apartment fire early Wednesday.
The call was dispatched at 2:05 a.m. following reports of a fire on the roof of a building in the Aspen Lodge Apartments. The building's address is 10224 West 81st Terrace.
Aerial image of the area
Click image to view larger
Overland Park Police arrived to report a "large amount of flames from the roof."
Arriving firefighters reported half of the two story building's roof was on fire.
OPFD Media Manager Jason Rhodes says, "firefighters went into search mode and assisted several people with evacuations, one just before the roof of the apartment building began to collapse."
Police evacuated a neighboring apartment building as a precaution, due to gusty winds and blowing embers.
A second alarm was dispatched at 2:15 a.m.. Dispatchers confirmed the fire was placed under control just after 2:50 a.m..
Rhodes says 16 residents were displaced. Complex management is working to house the residents in other apartments and the Red Cross is also assisting.
Rhodes also confirmed that one firefighter was transported to a nearby hospital with "minor medical issues."
No other injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
During the fire, several other fire departments sent fire crews to fill in at Overland Park Fire stations. Shawnee Fire sent an engine company to Overland Park's station two, which is located on 95th Street near Grant Street.
Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.
Posted: September 8, 2014 - 4:33am Updated: September 8, 2014 - 4:56am
Overland Park Fire Department Media Manager Jason Rhodes
Click image to view larger
Operation 100 News has independently confirmed that one person has been found dead at the scene of an early-morning apartment fire.
The fire was reported inside an apartment at 7610 West 59th Terrace just after 4 a.m. Monday. The apartments are located near Johnson Drive and Robinson Lane, or just west of Shawnee Mission North High School.
A resident of the building reported smoke from a neighboring apartment.
Overland Park Police arrived to report flames visible from outside of the building. Two officers made their way into the building to make sure residents had evacuated. Heavy smoke forced the officers to back out and wait for the fire department.
Arriving firefighters also reported flames visible from the second floor of the two story apartment building.
Firefighters located one person down in the apartment where the fire is believed to have originated. Johnson County Med-Act pronounced that person dead at the scene.
The fire was declared under control at 4:32 a.m. and out at 4:47 a.m.. No other injuries have been reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Aerial image of the area
Click image to view larger
Firefighters from Consolidated Fire District No. 2 and the Merriam Fire Department assisted Overland Park Fire with the initial response.
Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.
Posted: February 5, 2014 - 4:48am Updated: February 5, 2014 - 2:01pm
Firefighters from several Douglas County township fire departments are on the scene of a reported building fire at the Westar power plant.
Crews were called to the plant shortly before 4 a.m. on reports of black smoke coming from a heavy equipment building on the property located at 1250 N. 1800 Road.
Arriving crews reported heavy black smoke coming from around the doors of the 60x60ft building.
It took crews about 40 minutes to begin attacking the fire. There were apparent issues with a establishing a solid water supply and the gauges on one fire truck were said to be frozen.
Around 5 a.m. crews were ordered to evacuate the building and begin a defensive attack from the exterior as fire had began burning through the roof.
Crews reported the fire to be under control at 6:48 a.m..
The Kansas state fire marshal's office has been called in to investigate what caused the fire.
No injuries were reported.
Shane Batchelder, a Westar spokesman tells the Lawrence Journal-World, an official cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Batchelder said the fire did not spread beyond the building, which he said houses large equipment like bulldozers. Nothing involved in the production of energy at the plant was affected, Batchelder said.
Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.
Posted: February 5, 2014 - 12:35am Updated: February 5, 2014 - 1:56pm
Photo Courtesy: Shawnee Dispatch - Michael Terry Click image to view larger
Shawnee fire officials say careless smoking caused late night fire at the Cottonwood Park Apartments that injured two people.
Crews were called to the complex at 6311 Cottonwood Street shortly before 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night.
Shawnee Police arrived and reported fire visible and one person possibly trapped inside an apartment. An officer was able to quickly locate and remove one man from an apartment.
When firefighters arrived they reported flames were visible from the exterior of the three-story apartment building.
Johnson County Med-Act reported one man was transported to the University of Kansas Hospital's burn center. His injuries were described as serious burns. A female with minor smoke inhalation was transported to Shawnee Mission Medical Center. A third ambulance was dispatched to remain on the scene as crews continued to work the fire.
The fire was reported under control shortly after midnight and then confirmed to be out at 12:42 a.m.
Investigators say the resident of the apartment had been drinking alcohol and fell asleep in bed while smoking a cigarette. Neighbors awoke to the sound of smoke alarms and called 911 for help.
Shawnee fire marshal Corey Sands says, "this fire underscores the extreme dangers of smoking in bed and especially while under the influence."
The Merriam Fire Department and a Battalion Chief from the Overland Park Fire Department assisted on the call.
The Red Cross is assisting residents who were displaced by the fire.
Stay with Operation 100 News on this blog and on Twitter for the latest details as they become available. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.
