Fire damages vacant Kansas City church; firefighter injured by falling debris
A firefighter suffered minor injuries when struck by debris during overhaul operations after a blaze damaged a former Kansas City church Sunday night, a fire department spokesman said.
Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 7:10 p.m. Sunday at the vacant church in the 2400 block of West Paseo Boulevard in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, said Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins with the Kansas City Fire Department.
The first fire crews to arrive reported smoke and fire coming from the building. Firefighters attacked the blaze inside and searched for anyone who might have been inside. The search came back clear, Hopkins said.
Because the fire was mainly in the building's high ceilings and roofline, firefighters found it difficult to fight the blaze inside, Hopkins said. Fire crews used aerial ladder trucks, as well as firefighters on the roof, to bring the fire under control. Fire crews brought the fire under control after several hours.
While firefighters searched for and extinguished hidden fire and hot spots, a piece of debris fell and struck one of them, Hopkins said. The firefighter was taken to a hospital to be evaluated for minor injuries.
The Kansas City Police Department’s bomb and arson unit responded to the scene of the fire, which is standard protocol. Kansas City’s dangerous buildings department was also requested.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
This story was originally published January 5, 2026 at 7:35 AM.
