Overland Park estimates CityPlace fire damage exceeds $20 million

Monday’s blaze in Overland Park that destroyed an under-construction apartment building and damaged houses in surrounding neighborhoods caused between $23 million and $25 million in damage, according to an estimate announced by city officials Friday.

An afternoon eight-alarm fire at the Royale at CityPlace, the residential portion of a larger $450 million development by an affiliate of Block Real Estate Services, consumed one apartment building and badly damaged another. Both structures were under construction. The fire was started by a welding torch, investigators concluded.

Damage at the CityPlace site accounted for $20 million of the overall estimate.

The fire sent burning embers into the air, some landing at more than two dozen houses in the vicinity of CityPlace at College Boulevard and Nieman Road. Harm to those houses ranged from minor to a total loss, all adding to $3 million to $5 million of property damage.

Overland Park said it based the estimate on exterior damage and property values and that a more precise figure would emerge once insurance adjusters have completed their evaluation of the fire’s impact.

“We understand and are hearing from those affected by the fire about how to proceed forward,” said Sean Reilly, Overland Park spokesman, in a written statement. “We want to help in that process.”

City officials are meeting with neighborhood leaders and those most severely affected by the fire to assist with recovery.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Overland Park estimates CityPlace fire damage exceeds $20 million."