Young girl and her babysitter die in KCK apartment fire

A young girl and her babysitter were killed Saturday in an apartment fire in Kansas City, Kan., fire officials said.

The victims were Amiyah McClenton, 2, and Brandi S. Johnson, 34.

The fire was reported at 5:45 a.m. at Legend Oaks Apartments, 1800 N. 76th Drive, when a resident of another unit was awakened by a smoke alarm, Deputy Fire Chief Craig Duke said. The resident knocked on everyone’s doors to awaken them. People were running out of the burning building when firefighters arrived.

Inside, firefighters found Johnson already dead and Amiyah suffering severe burns and smoke inhalation, Duke said. She died a short time later at a hospital. Her mother was at work.

The fire’s cause is undetermined, but a preliminary analysis indicated that the blaze started in the upper-floor apartment where the two fatalities occurred.

The American Red Cross is helping families displaced by the fire, 26 people, with lodging, food and new clothing, said spokesman Jamie Dierking.