72-year-old Kansas man dead following house fire in Lenexa, family says

A man who was staying as a guest in a Lenexa home died following a fire that broke out early Sunday.

The victim was identified by family and friends as Bill Pardue.

Lenexa firefighters responded to the blaze before 1 a.m. Sunday in the 9700 block of Redbird Street.

Lenexa Fire Department Division Chief Butch Diekemper said crews arrived on scene and found heavy fire coming from the back of the home. Firefighters said it appeared the fire originated near a fireplace.

Tuesday, Diekemper said the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

Seven people were in the home when the fire started. Pardue and his wife were staying the night with friends.

Pardue was pulled out of the burning home and taken to a hospital with severe burns and smoke inhalation. Everyone else was able to get out, including the homeowners, a family of three, and Pardue’s wife.

Pardue was a 72-year-old from Topeka, according to a brief obituary posted by Penwell-Gabel.

The Pardue family issued a brief statement following his death:

“Thank you to all our family and friends for their prayers, friendship and love. Bill loved his family and friends, his profession, Baker University, and his fraternity, Delta Tau Delta.”

A GoFundMe account created to help raise money for the families affected by the fire has collected more than $9,400.

This story was originally published October 16, 2018 at 5:21 PM.