Fire spreads along I-470 as police urge some KC residents to evacuate, roads close
Police urged some Kansas City residents to evacuate Sunday as a grass fire spreads through the area around Interstate 470 Highway and Raytown Road, shutting down parts of the highway to traffic.
The blaze, which began as a mulch fire at a business, quickly spread and moved toward the Highview Estates neighborhood, officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, said in an email to media just before noon. Officers were called to the scene around 11 a.m. and are knocking on doors to let residents know, she said.
Parts of I-470 near Raytown Road remain shut down as the fire spreads, and police are helping to direct traffic, Drake said. If possible, drivers are urged to avoid the area, which is between Raytown and Lee’s Summit.
Officials shut down eastbound I-470 between Interstate 49 and Interstate 435 in Kansas City to the Grandview Triangle, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The highway is shut down westbound at 350 Highway and U.S. 50 Highway in Lee’s Summit.
Highway patrol officials said drivers should avoid I-470 and take 350 Highway instead.
The blaze, which began as a small brush fire on the south side of I-470, quickly grew, spurred on by high winds and dry conditions in the area Sunday, Kansas City Fire Chief Donna Lake told The Star Sunday afternoon.
Embers from the initial fire were carried over the highway, igniting parts of a wooded area on the north side of the highway. This left fire crews to battle blazes in two different locations, Lake said.
Jason Spreitzer, a spokesman with KCFD, said the smoke was also causing extremely low visibility around the area, and the heat levels are too intense for the fire trucks, he said.
Lake said as of about 2 p.m. Sunday, only a couple homes to the south had been urged to evacuate.
The fire chief advised anyone who lives in the general area and who is at home to turn off their HVAC systems to reduce the smoke coming into their homes. She also advised them to shelter in place until they learn more from authorities about whether or not they will need to evacuate.
KCFD is working alongside fire crews from nine other area agencies to control the fire. Four police departments also responded.
As of around 4:15 p.m. Sunday, a spokesman from the Kansas City Fire Department told The Star that the fire on the north side of I-470 is about 80% contained, and the highway remained closed.
The Star’s Anna Spoerre contributed.
This story was originally published October 23, 2022 at 12:30 PM.
