‘Flames were gigantic’: House guest critically injured as fire destroys Lenexa home

A guest staying at a Lenexa home was critically injured early Sunday when fire swept through the house.

The man was in critical condition from burns and smoke inhalation, according to relatives of the owner of the house. Others in the home were taken to a hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation.

Firefighters responded to the blaze shortly before 1 a.m. in the 9700 block of Redbird Street, according to Division Chief Butch Diekemper of the Lenexa Fire Department’s prevention division.

Arriving crews found heavy fire coming from the rear of the house.

“The fact that it (the fire) got that big of a jump, we had to go into defensive mode … ” Diekemper said. “The fire was really burning.”

The cause of the fire was still being investigated Sunday afternoon, but it originated near a fireplace that the family had used Saturday night — the first time this season, Diekemper said.

“I can’t stress the importance of making sure you get your fireplaces checked out by certified technician before you use it for the first time each year,” Diekemper said. “That and making sure you have smoke detectors working in the homes.”

Don Glasscock’s family was staying with in-laws at the house after selling their own home. It was their third night at the house.

“Everyone was asleep and we heard yelling,” Glasscock said. “‘Fire! Fire! Fire!’ They were yelling.”

Glasscock, his wife and a daughter were sleeping on the lower level of the home. He opened the back door of the one-and-half-story house and saw ash falling in front of the door. When he looked up, he saw flames.

“We ran up the stairs as fast as we could and got out,” he said.

His in-laws had some family friends — a husband and wife— also staying with them. The wife got out immediately.

The husband apparently did not.

“I passed him as I came up the stairs to come out,” Glasscock said. “I went out the door and turned around to hopefully get him to come out too.”

The man went right past the door and back into the room he had been staying in with his wife.

“We think maybe he thought his wife was still in there,” Glasscock said. “He was trapped in there until we got him out of the window. We broke the window and dragged him out of there.”

The injured man was taken to a hospital with severe burns and smoke inhalation.

Glasscock said he and his wife went to the hospital to be checked out for smoke inhalation and were treated for cuts from broken glass. His in-laws were checked out, but they were OK, he said.

“The flames were gigantic,” Glasscock said. “They were probably twice as high as the house was tall.”

The house is most likely a complete loss, he said.

There were smoke detectors in the house and a family member reported hearing one, said Diekemper, the division fire chief.

In addition to getting fireplaces checked, Diekemper urged people using portable heaters to follow manufacturer instructions.