Fire crews battle series of blazes across Kansas City on New Year’s Day
A trio of structure fires in rapid succession kept Kansas City fire crews busy Thursday morning.
An elderly man was found dead inside a burning home in the Mount Cleveland neighborhood. No one was injured in a house fire in east Kansas City’s Santa Fe neighborhood or a garage fire in the Northland’s Shoal Creek Valley neighborhood, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan with the Kansas City Fire Department.
“We were fortunate that even with these being back-to-back-to-back, they were in kind of three parts of the city, so they really didn’t overlap too much. So we had resources available to fit in with each one as they came in,” Nolan said in a phone interview.
KCFD crews were also called to extinguish an apartment fire just east of Northmoor Wednesday evening, and the Lee’s Summit firefighters saved a dog from a burning house shortly after midnight, according to a news release.
Then, later on Thursday, another blaze displaced three people from another residence just north of Raytown.
All of the fires are under investigation. Nolan said their timing is unusual but not unheard of.
“Do we have possibly three fires in a day? Yeah, that happens from time to time,” he said, adding that the department usually responds to more fire calls in the winter months.
“People might have space heaters out. People might have candles or fireplaces burning,” Nolan said. “That doesn’t mean that’s how these started, but we do see an uptick in them because of those types of things.”
12 safe after house fire
KCFD’s first fire call Thursday came shortly after 6:30 a.m., when crews were dispatched to the 3200 block of East 28th Street in the Santa Fe neighborhood. Firefighters on the scene reported light smoke showing from a three-story residence, a news release said.
“Crews investigated and found a fire in the basement and initiated an offensive interior attack. Two hose lines were advanced to extinguish the fire,” the release said.
Everyone inside the house was able to escape without injury. The Red Cross was subsequently directed to assist five adults and seven children, the release said.
Fatal house fire
Firefighters responded to a reported house fire in the 3200 block of East 52nd Street in the Mount Cleveland neighborhood shortly before 7:30 a.m. Thursday.
Upon arrival, they reported fire on the second story of the two-story house. A news release said crews searched the house and found the body of “an elderly man approximately in his nineties” who had died.
No one else was injured in the fire, the release said. Because the blaze was fatal, the Kansas City Police Department’s Bomb and Arson Unit will lead the investigation.
Northland garage fire
KCFD companies were dispatched in response to reports of a house fire in the 7500 block of Northeast 103rd Terrace just before 9 a.m. Thursday, a news release said. On arrival, firefighters reported smoke coming from the garage of a two-story house in the Shoal Creek area of the Northland.
“Crews advanced a single hose line, containing it to the garage area and extinguishing the fire. It was brought under control at 9:09 a.m.,” the release said.
No injuries were reported.
Lee’s Summit firefighters save dog
The Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to multiple calls just after midnight Thursday from neighbors who reported the back of a house in the 500 block of Southeast Fourth Terrace was on fire, according to a news release.
There, the firefighters could see smoke and flames in the rear of the split-level home. The home’s resident had gotten out, but a dog was still inside.
“Firefighters knocked down the fire on the back of the house and entered to attack flames that had spread into the attic. Crews searched the home and found the dog alive. The dog was checked by crews and returned to its owner,” the release continued.
The fire began on the back patio and spread to the house, causing significant damage to the home, the release said.
Apartment fire
A KCFD fire crew was dispatched to the 1200 block of Northwest Vivion Road just after 7 p.m. Wednesday in response to a commercial alarm in the Briarcliff West neighborhood.
“On arrival, the company observed fire showing from the 2nd floor of a 2-story apartment building and upgraded the alarm to an apartment fire.,” a fire department release said.
A smaller handline hose was advanced into the apartment unit, and the fire was quickly brought under control. No injuries were reported, but the Red Cross was called on to assist two adults and one child, the release said.
3 safe after residential fire
KCFD companies were dispatched to a reported fire around 5:05 p.m. in the 3600 block of East 46th Terrace Thursday. Upon arrival, crews reported smoke appearing from a one-story residence just north of Raytown.
Crews began to fight the fire and used a single hose line to extinguish the fire. The blaze was placed under control at 5:16 p.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though no injuries were reported. Red Cross was requested to assist with two adults and one child.
Fire prevention tips
Investigators have not yet identified the causes of any of the five fires across the metro.
But Nolan, the KCFD battalion chief, said simple precautionary measures can help minimize the risk of accidentally starting a fire.
“Just be aware,” Nolan said. “If you are using it for warming or cooking, make sure you’re using like a 3-foot rule from space heaters or open flames.
“Keeping mattresses or blankets or curtains or anything like that away from open flames. Don’t overload your sockets. Put candles out if you’re going to bed. Just be mindful of your surroundings.”
This story was originally published January 1, 2026 at 2:05 PM.
