Fundraiser started for residents displaced by two-alarm fire at Overland Park apartments
An Overland Park apartment complex has started a GoFundMe fundraiser to help residents who lost their homes when a two-alarm fire destroyed one of its buildings earlier this month.
No one was injured when fire engulfed the building shortly before 4 p.m. June 3 at the Highlands Apartments in the 8000 block of Farley Street. Eight apartment units, however, were a total loss.
“The loss these individuals face is devastating,” the Highlands management team said on the GoFundMe page. “We know we can never replace what was lost in the fire, but we hope to give these neighbors peace of mind in settling again in their future homes with donations to help as they start over.”
The management team said the apartment community’s owner, St. Regis Properties of San Francisco, will match donations up to $20,000. The proceeds from the fundraiser will be split equally among the lease holders in the units damaged by the fire.
The Overland Park Fire Department said it believes the fire was started by a “careless discard of smoking materials” on a second story balcony. It urged smokers to extinguish smoking materials in sand or water before discarding.
The fire, which had spread to the attic of the two-story apartment building, was so intense flames and smoke could be seen by drivers on Interstate 35 near 79th Street.
Firefighters were relocated outside when they saw the ceiling collapse and fire break through the roof of the building.
The blaze was brought under control in about an hour.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 11:35 AM.
