Man badly burned in KCK house fire; four children taken to hospital to be checked
A house fire Monday morning in Kansas City, Kan., seriously injured a man and caused four children to be taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Emergency crews rushed the man to a hospital with serious burns after the fire was reported about 9 a.m. at a house near the corner of 18th Street and New Jersey Avenue.
A passerby noticed the blaze and called 911, said Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal John Droppelmann of the Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department.
The first firefighters arriving on the scene reported flames and smoke coming out the front windows and door of the house. The firefighters found two men outside.
One of the men had burns on about 20 percent of his body, including his face and upper chest. He was taken to a hospital and was admitted to the burn unit with severe injuries, Droppelmann said. His condition was not known Monday morning.
Four children, aged 10 years old and younger, were inside the home at the time of the fire, Droppelmann said. It appeared the fire started at the front of the house.and spread to the back, where the children were.
The children were taken to the hospital to be checked out for smoke inhalation injuries.
“They were treated here at the scene, but we felt more comfortable taking them to the hospital to get evaluated,” Droppelmann said.
The fire was brought under control in about 25 minutes, Droppelmann said.
The strong winds blowing through the area Monday proved to be a challenge for firefighters.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Droppelmann said. “We are lucky it didn’t take the house next to it, they are so close together, within about three feet.”
He praised firefighters for making sure the patients were taken care of and controlling the fire before it could spread to a second house.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
This story was originally published January 28, 2019 at 10:02 AM.
