VIDEO: Merriam apartment fire displaces residents

Merriam Fire's Engine 61
File image, Mike Frizzell - Operation 100 News
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Posted: July 1, 2014 - 12:47am
Updated: July 1, 2014 - 1:35am

Merriam and Overland Park fire crews are investigating after an electrical fire forced more than 20 people from their apartments late Monday.

Firefighters were called to the Georgetown Apartments in the 7100 block of Eby Drive just before 10 p.m.. Arriving firefighters reported a fire in an electrical panel in the basement of the two story apartment building.

Overland Park Fire's media manager Jason Rhodes says crews were able to knock down the fire with extinguishers, but because of the electricity, were unable to offensively fight the fire.

KCP&L arrived around 11:30 p.m. and cut power to the building.

After power was cut, firefighters were able to quickly knock the fire down and declared the fire under control about 11:50 p.m..

Rhodes says, "Firefighters did rescue a number of animals from the building. It's believed that 16 units are currently displaced and apartment management is working to relocate residents."

During the fire, power was turned off to the entire apartment complex. KCP&L is working to restore power to the other buildings in the complex, while leaving power off at the fire building.

No injuries were reported.

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VIDEO: Cigarette and gusty winds likely cause of JoCo house fire

Posted: January 27, 2014 - 1:24am
Updated: January 27, 2014 - 1:51am

Overland Park Fire Investigators believe a carelessly discarded cigarette and gusty winds sparked a house fire this morning.

Crews were called to a home in the 9600 block of W. 128th Terrace just before midnight Sunday. A resident reported fire on the side of the house.

First crews on the scene reported smoke and fire visible from around a second level window. All occupants of the home were outside when crews arrived.

The fire was quickly knocked down and mostly contained to the home's exterior.

A news release says there is minor fire damage to the inside of the home.

No injuries were reported.

One crew from the Olathe Fire Department assisted on the call.

Overland Park Fire says the dry and windy conditions are causing an increased fire risk. "If you smoke, you should always fully extinguish cigarettes in sand or water."

More information on fire safety can be found on the Overland Park Fire Department's website.

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VIDEO: Olathe firefighters rescue family dog from an afternoon house fire

Posted: February 9, 2013 - 12:37am
Updated: February 9, 2013 - 12:56am

Olathe firefighters rescued a family's dog from a house fire on Friday afternoon.

Captain Mike Hall says the fire was reported just after 3 p.m. near 141st Street and S. Mur-Len Road. Crews worked for about 20 minutes to control the fire.

Firefighters rescued the family's Schnauzer, named Spicy, from the house and reunited the dog with the family, as seen in the provided video. The family also had two cats; one died in the fire and the second is still missing.

No one was home when the fire started and no injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

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Video: Overland Park restaurant fire

Posted: January 6, 2013 - 5:05am
Updated: January 6, 2013 - 6:31am

Firefighters from Overland Park and Leawood were called to the Joy Wok restaurant at 11920 Metcalf Avenue just before 4:50 Sunday morning.

Two callers are said to have reported the fire, the first an employee of a neighboring business reported smoke visible from the roof. The second caller reported a burning odor in the area.

Overland Park Police arrived to report smoke from the roof of the building. Firefighters made access to the building and found fire in the kitchen area.

Overland Park Fire Department spokesperson Jason Rhodes says, crews quickly extinguished the fire which covered about 25% of the kitchen. The fire was placed under control in about 20 minutes and was contained to the kitchen area.

No one was inside the restaurant at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Two men burglarize Overland Park jewelry store

Posted: October 16, 2012 - 11:22am

Overland Park Police are seeking the public's assistance in identifying two men who burglarized a jewelry store early Saturday morning.

Police responded on an alarm shortly after 1:00 a.m. Saturday at the Noble House Jewelry store at 11620 Metcalf Avenue. Officers arrived and found that someone had forced entry into the front of the business. Several glass cases were also smashed near the front of the store.

Detectives say the two men were able to grab a large amount of jewelry before leaving the store. The lost of property is estimated to be significant but is still being inventoried.

Police have released a clip from the surveillance video.

The first suspect is said to be a white male, stocky build, wearing a multi-color patterned stocking cap with a thick black band, charcoal sweatshirt, dark sweatpants, dark tennis shoes with white soles, a multi-colored mask and dark gloves.

The second suspect is an unknown race male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, dark tennis shoes, dark mask with white knuckles and fingers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).

Operation 100 News was the only news media outlet with any information regarding this incident reported to the public on Saturday morning. No mention by any other media until a Press Release was sent out Tuesday morning.

Remember where you heard this news first, Operation 100 News, reporting the news to the public as it breaks.

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Historic steam locomotive rolls through Johnson County

Posted: October 15, 2012 - 8:54am

Union Pacific Steam Locomotive No. 844 as seen by
the Kansas City Scout traffic camera at Interstate 35
and Southwest Boulevard in Kansas City, KS

The last steam locomotive built for the Union Pacific Railroad rolled through Johnson County, Kansas this morning.

Steam Locomotive No. 844 is a high-speed passenger engine which was delivered to Union Pacific in 1944. The locomotive ran passenger trains until diesel locomotives took over that role in the 1950's. No. 844 was placed in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959.


The locomotive was saved from being scrapped in 1960 and was held by the railroad for special service.

Union Pacific's webpage dedicated to No. 844, says "the engine has run hundreds of thousands of miles as Union Pacific's ambassador of goodwill."

No. 844 is beyond the halfway point in a 13,000 mile trek through 15 states as Union Pacific celebrates their 150th anniversary and 150 years since President Abraham Lincoln created the original Union Pacific by signing the Pacific Railway Act on July 1, 1862. The journey began in California, with a two day celebration, September 29-30th.

The train includes a 1960's vintage Promontory baggage car that has been retrofitted into a state-of-the-art traveling museum and a recently launched Union Pacific Locomotive which reduces emissions and provides a glimpse into the future of railroading.

This past Saturday, No. 844 steamed through Lawrence, Kansas where it was captured on video by the Lawrence Journal-World's Chief Photographer, Mike Yoder.

No. 844 was also captured on video this Monday morning as it passed through Merriam, Kansas, near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Interstate 35 by Operation 100 News follower, Curtis Wells.

The train is scheduled to arrive at in Houston, Texas on Friday, October 26th at 2 p.m. local time.

You can stay up-to-date with the location of the train by following GPS tracking on Twitter. The schedule for the remainder of the journey can be found here and more information on the famous Living Legend No. 844 can be found here from Union Pacific.

If you managed to capture No. 844 in pictures or video, you can submit them to Operation 100 News by email.