Jefferson County structure fire brought under control

Posted: November 9, 2013 - 12:47am
Updated: November 9, 2013 - 3:33am

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Firefighters from Meriden and at least two nearby townships battled a structure fire just off of Kansas Highway 4 on the outskirts of town early Saturday.

The call was dispatched around 12:10 a.m. after a caller reported fire from a building in the 7100 block of K-4.

Fire crews arrived to report flames through the roof of the large machine shop building. The address given by firefighters is 7127 K-4, which shows to be Quality Custom Cabinets.

There were several water tankers on the scene supplying water to fight the fire.

Crews were unable to enter the building to attack the fire, instead they used at least one aerial ladder to spray water through the building's roof.

Incident command declared the fire to be under control around 3:30 a.m..

Meriden is about 10 miles northeast of Topeka or 17 miles northwest of Lawrence.

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Two people transported by ambulance from fully engulfed Jefferson County house fire

Posted: June 20, 2013 - 1:34am
Updated: June 20, 2013 - 1:57am

Volunteer firefighters from at least four Jefferson County departments are on scene of a structure fire in Sarcoxie Township.

The address of the fire scene is 19883 31st Street. The scene is approximately five miles west of Tonganoxie and approximately six miles north of Lawrence Municipal Airport.

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First reports of the fire were received just before 12:50 Thursday morning. Fire crews began to arrive on the scene about 15 minutes later. At least four separate dispatches have been sent calling for additional manpower. Winchester Fire was dispatched to assist on the call at 1:51 a.m.. Tonganoxie Township Fire, of Leavenworth County, was added to the call just after 2 a.m..

The caller is said to be a neighbor, who also reported what they believed to be ammunition discharging inside the involved structure and that there is a "large" propane tank 10-15 feet away from the structure.

Crews are currently battling the fire defensively and have not entered the structure. At 1:33 a.m., firefighters reported that half of the house had collapsed and there is a power line down in the yard.

A Jefferson County EMS unit has transported at least one person from the scene. That person is said to be a resident of the home. The extent of that person's injuries remains unclear at this time. A second EMS unit remains on standby near the scene.

McLouth Fire, Winchester Fire and Rural Township Fire are on scene assisting Sarcoxie Township Fire.

The fire was said to be "largely collapsed and under control" at 1:54 a.m..

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Fuel spill in McLouth

Posted: May 4, 2013 - 1:14am
Updated: May 4, 2013 - 3:44pm

Lawrence Journal-World, Mike Yoder photo
Haz-Mat Response employee places a hose to suck up diesel fuel in a ditch
near 106 E. Pearl Street in McLouth, Satruday morning, May 4, 2013
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Emergency crews from at least two counties responded on a diesel fuel spill late Friday night. The scene is the BP station, located at 101 E. Lake Street. The station is on the southeast corner of Lake and Union Streets in the heart of McLouth.

Outside of McLouth, Lake Street is known as Kansas Highway 16.



A diesel tanker was reportedly resupplying the gas station's diesel tank when 1,200 to 1,300 gallons of diesel spilled onto the ground. Crews reported that some of the fuel had ran downhill and into storm drains. The spill was also reported to have "covered" at least one neighbor's backyard.

A caller to the Lawrence Journal-World said that "homes all around the area were being evacuated."

Emergency crews on the scene include; McLouth Police & Fire Department, Oskaloosa Fire Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Jefferson County Fire Districts 8 & 9, and Leavenworth County Emergency Management. An earlier report from the Lawrence Journal-World says that Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical was also involved on the call. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has also been notified of the spill.

These crews are also being assisted by a private contractor, Haz-Mat Response Inc., of Olathe, Kansas.


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Rollover accident kills one near Leavenworth and Jefferson County line

Posted: January 6, 2013 - 5:07am
Updated: January 6, 2013 - 4:42pm

Emergency crews from Leavenworth and Jefferson Counties were dispatched on a possible fatality accident in the 25000 block of Ragtown Road in western Leavenworth county around 4:45 Sunday morning. The accident scene is about three miles northeast of McLouth or approximately six miles to the northwest of Tonganoxie.

First responders from Union Township of Jefferson County were first to arrive on the scene and reported a person, possibly deceased, pinned under an overturned vehicle.

Late Sunday afternoon, Leavenworth County Sheriff's Deputies tell Operation 100 News a 25-year-old man from rural Jefferson County was killed in this morning's accident.

Deputies say the 25-year-old man was a passenger in a vehicle driven by an 18-year-old man from the Topeka area. The vehicle, for an unknown reason, left the roadway and overturned east of 251st Street on Ragtown Road.

The 25-year-old was killed in the accident, the driver sustained only minor injuries and was cooperating with the investigation. Deputies say the driver is not being held in custody as the investigation continues.

Deputies continue to investigate if drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident's cause. The man killed in the accident has not been officially identified as of late Sunday afternoon.

Operation 100 News reported this story on Twitter at 4:56 a.m., followed by this full report at 5:07 a.m., and mention in my "Early Morning wrap-up" blog entry on the Lawrence Journal-World at 7:04 a.m.. No mention of this story from any other media until the evening reports at five. Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

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Two men injured after pickup collides with tractor trailer

Posted: April 6, 2012 - 2:02am
Updated: September 17, 2012 - 4:27am

Latest: According to the family's caringbridge.org page, crash victim Dyllon Butrick, passed away on September 12, 2012. Link to the Dyllon Butrick caringbridge page for further details.

Update: Last updated April 6, 2012 - 9:27am The Kansas Highway Patrol's initial accident report says a 1992 Nissan Pickup was traveling westbound on U.S. 24 Highway, one-quarter of a mile east of Perry. The pickup pulled onto the shoulder. A westbound 2007 Kenworth Semi-truck approached the stopped pickup and moved into the eastbound lane to pass the stopped pickup truck. At the same time the pickup truck pulled back onto the roadway and attempted to make a U-Turn, crashing into the semi-truck.

Investigators say the pickup truck was occupied by two men; 19-year-old, Gary Koelliker, of Highland, Kansas was reported to have been the driver with 20-year-old Dyllon Butrick, of White Cloud, Kansas as a passenger.

Troopers say both men were not wearing seat belts when the crash occurred and they were ejected when the pickup rolled. Both men reportedly suffered life threatening injuries. Koelliker was transported by Jefferson County EMS to Stormont-Vail in Topeka. Butrick was flow to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

The driver of the semi-truck, a 39-year-old South Bend, Indiana man, was not injured in the accident.

As of this report, Troopers say they are still investigating if alcohol or any other impairment played a role in causing the accident. No updates were available on either of the injured men's conditions.

Original Post: Last updated April 6, 2012 - 8:45am

The accident was reported at 1:44 a.m. on U.S. Highway 24 just west of U.S. Highway 59, between Williamstown and Perry in Jefferson County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says that a pickup truck and a tractor trailer collided. Crews on the scene report two people critically injured after they were both ejected.

Crews initially requested that two helicopters respond for transport. LifeStar was sent to the scene from Lawrence and the next closest, available helicopter would have been LifeFlight Eagle, more than 30 minutes from the scene. LifeFlight Eagle was cancelled at that time.

One person was transported to Stormont-Vail in Topeka by Jefferson County EMS. LifeStar transported the second person to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. Both victims are said to have suffered head injuries.

KDOT closed all lanes of U.S. Highway 24 between Williamstown and Perry. All westbound traffic was redirected to northbound U.S. Highway 59. Eastbound traffic is blocked at Lecompton Road.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office was also on the scene assisting with traffic control. The Kansas Highway Patrol's Accident Reconstruction Team assisted with investigating the accident.

All lanes were reopened to traffic as 8 a.m. Friday morning.

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Jefferson County shooting

Posted: December 4, 2011 - 11:01am
Updated: December 5, 2011 - 2:14am

Update: The Lawrence Journal-World is reporting that William Schoonover, 58, from rural Valley Falls, sustained one gunshot wound to the left side of his chest. Schoonover was transported to Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center in Topeka by ambulance. He was in surgery Sunday afternoon.

The man who allegedly shot Schoonover, a 62-year-old from rural Valley Falls, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail on suspicion of intentional murder in the second degree. The charges could be revised.

Original Post:

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is investigating after a man was shot. First reports of the shooting were heard shortly after 10:40 a.m. this morning. The victim was reported to be near a "trailer home" in the 6100 block of 142nd Street.

According to scanner traffic, a man called 911 and reported that he had just shot a man who had attacked him. The shooting victim is reported to a male in his 50's  be awake and bleeding heavily from a single gunshot wound to the chest.

A LifeStar Medical helicopter was initially dispatched to respond to transport the man to the hospital. The man was transported to Stormont-Vail in Topeka by ground ambulance and LifeStar's response was cancelled just after 11 a.m..

Deputies on scene have requested a "detective response to scene."

No other injuries have been reported. Further details were not immediately available from anyone that I could reach by phone.


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