Fireworks caused blaze that destroyed cars, damaged homes in Independence: officials
An investigation of the July 4 blaze at the Cedar Brook Apartments in Independence, which caused substantial damage to vehicles and buildings, has revealed that fireworks were to blame, city officials said Thursday.
Firefighters were dispatched around 11:19 p.m. Monday to the apartment complex in the 600 block of Quail Creek Drive, officials have said. Arriving firefighters saw smoke and fire coming from a carport there that was extending toward nearby apartment buildings.
Crews remained on scene until the early hours of Tuesday morning, officials said. No injuries were reported.
In the aftermath, at least six vehicles were destroyed and several more were damaged. Apartment buildings and nearby trees were also damaged.
Fire Chief Doug Short said in a statement Thursday that firefighters were tasked with answering 400 calls for service, including eight structure fires, over a five-day period that included the holiday.
The chief added that the wave of incidents serves as a reminder for residents to use fireworks in a safe manner by ensuring debris is properly disposed of, launching them away from structures and following directions provided on packaging.
Short also noted the recent high volume of reports far outpaces the average during the rest of the year, saying the work has strained the department and its employees amid a dangerous heat wave felt across the Kansas City metro.
“This has challenged our firefighters as they battle back-to-back fires and triple-digit heat indexes outside of the fire,” Short said. “Further, this has delayed findings on investigations as our Fire Inspectors have had to review multiple sites in a short period of time.”
The information released by officials Thursday were part of the preliminary findings gathered so far. Officials said fire was still being investigated.
This story was originally published July 7, 2022 at 8:58 PM.
