Space heater believed to have caused fire at Olathe duplex, displacing seven people
A space heater inside a garage of a central Olathe duplex is believed to have started a fire early Sunday that caused an estimated $160,000 in damage and displaced seven people.
A caller to 911 reported the fire shortly before 6 a.m. in the 800 block of North Hamilton Drive.
By the time firefighters arrived, flames and a wall of smoke poured from the front of the duplex, according to the Olathe Fire Department.
Firefighters battled the blaze in single-digit temperatures and brought it under control in about 20 minutes.
No one was hurt in the fire. Olathe police, Johnson County Med-Act and the American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City assisted at the scene.
Firefighters said the fire serves as a reminder to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from space heaters and to turn them off and unplug them before sleeping.
Robert A. Cronkleton: 816-234-4261, @cronkb
This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Space heater believed to have caused fire at Olathe duplex, displacing seven people."