Series of fires plagues historic KC housing complex set for demolition. Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Parade Park has faced about a dozen fires at vacant units amid $300M redevelopment.
- Investigations list causes as undetermined, homeless incendiary and arson cases.
- Demolition slated Dec. 15 for redevelopment bringing 1,100 homes over 7–10 years.
While developers have been focused on revitalizing an historic Black-owned housing cooperative in Kansas City’s 18th and Vine Jazz District, fires have continually scorched the now vacant buildings for months, according to records from the Kansas City Fire Department.
Investigators haven’t been able to determine the cause of most of the fires, but some are classified as homeless incendiary and arson, a fire department spokesman said.
The most recent of these fires happened just after 11 p.m. Dec. 6, when crews responded to the northwest corner of the complex at 1900 block of E. 15th Terrace. Crews reported heavy fire and smoke from a two-story apartment.
After firefighters initially went inside the building with a hose, the structural integrity of the building forced them to battle the blaze from outside. No one was found inside and no injuries were reported, according to a fire department spokesman.
Redevelopment at the 510-unit housing cooperative broke ground in October, when the city and private developers celebrated plans for the $300 million project to bring 1,100 affordable homes to the community.
Two days before crews broke ground, one of the community’s vacant two-story units caught fire.
Over the past several months, multiple two-story buildings at the complex had to be boarded up after around 12 separate fires caused headaches for its property owners. The city’s dangerous buildings department and city planning office have been called to the scene several times.
Despite the fires, a spokesman for the project said leaders are optimistic about progress before winter weather halts construction. According to the city, demolition of the complex is slated to begin Dec. 15.
“You want to make sure that in the midst of the unfortunate setting of fires that people are safe,” said Jason Parson, a project spokesman. “We are looking to have demolition start before the end of the year, which therefore would hopefully eliminate the fires that are happening.”
Parson said the fires didn’t cause delays in construction, but that there are “a lot of moving parts” with a project this size. According to the city, all phases are anticipated to take around 7-10 years to complete.
Throughout this past year, residents of the Parade Park complex have been relocating. Parson couldn’t say how many, but some residents still lived at the complex when fires took place.
Parson said residents who are forced to relocate during construction have been given the option to move back into the community when the new units come available.
“There certainly is a focus on trying to clear the site as quickly as possible, especially with winter fast approaching,” Parson said.
12 fires reported at Parade Park
Fires also damaged the vacant homes at Parade Park on two consecutive days the week of Thanksgiving.
Firefighters responded around 5:41 p.m on Thanksgiving to the 1800 block of E. 15th Terrace at Parade Park. At the time, crews reported smoke and fire from both stories of a two-story apartment. Searches of the building that evening came back clear, and no one was injured.
The next day, crews responded again to the complex for a fire around 11 a.m. in the 2100 block of E. 15th Terrace. Firefighters saw heavy smoke and fire from a two-story vacant building. They went inside with four hose lines, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.
Nobody was found inside, he said. No injuries were reported and the fire was extinguished within 15 minutes of their response.
“We’ve sent a lot of resources over that way over the past several months, for sure,” Nolan previously told The Star. “It’s definitely something we’ve been working with ... through our fire prevention office, and hopefully we’ll get something going with it before long.”
According to records, there have been approximately 12 fires at the complex and surrounding neighborhood over the past 10 to 12 months, said Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins, a spokesman for the fire department.
Hopkins said after investigating, fires at Parade Park were classified in one of three categories: undetermined, homeless incendiary and arson.
“Undetermined is the most common and often the case in a vacant structure fire due to the extensive damage, and the lack of usable evidence to make a determination of cause,” Hopkins said in an email. “While there may be many indicators and clues, there just is not enough to make a definitive cause, so they are classified as undetermined.”
Homelessness and fires
Hopkins said fires are classified as incendiary when it’s a kind of fire not naturally found in a building. But those cases don’t necessarily have malicious intent, he said.
Those kinds of fires can happen when someone starts a fire in a metal tub or bucket to keep warm, or cook something, then the fire gets away from them, he said.
The key for that classification, Hopkins said, is the lack of malicious intent.
“In regard to Parade Park and the numerous fires that KCFD has responded to there, most if not all fall into one of these three categories, with the undetermined and homeless incendiary being the most common,” Hopkins said.
However, the Kansas City Police Department’s Bomb and Arson unit has also been called on to investigate fires at Parade Park where evidence points to arson.
Redevelopment moving forward
As part of the demolition process, Flaherty & Collins Properties began removing boards covering the scorched two-story units.
A website tracking the project’s progress says phase one of three relocations was completed in November last year. At the time, approximately 62 families were relocated. According to the site, most of those relocated were 60 years of age and older.
About half of the residents who relocated last year moved within two miles of the Parade Park Homes property, the website says.
This fall, ahead of the project’s groundbreaking, leaders said construction fences had been erected around the property, marking the start of the construction phase.
In an email Dec. 3, a spokesperson for the city neighborhood services department said they were aware of several fires breaking out at Parade Park.
Property owners confirmed to the city this week that all units are now vacant.
“Demolition is a huge milestone in terms of project progress,” Parson said. “To see the units come down will, I think, send a very clear message to the community that this project is moving forward, and we’re trying to move forward in a timely manner.”
Parson also said that community excitement remains high for the project, despite the blight several fires have caused.
“This is a great opportunity being located in the historic jazz district to continue the momentum that’s currently happening there,” Parson said. “We hope when we’re done with our work that the community feels just as proud of our work as we will.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
