Lee’s Summit fire set to cover up burglary

A house fire in Lee’s Summit has been identified as suspicious by the Lee’s Summit Police Department and an investigation has begun.

According to a news release from the police department, here is what happened:

A neighbor spotted smoke coming from the roof of a house in the 1200 block of SE 11th Street 7 a.m. Saturday morning.

The two-story house was unoccupied when firefighters from Lee’s Summit Fire Department forced entry.

Firefighters had the blaze under control within a half hour.

The fire and police departments have determined the fire was set to destroy evidence of a burglary of the house, according to authorities.

Police spokesman Sgt. Chris Depue said there had been two previous burglaries in the house, one in 2015 and another in 2014.

To provide information about the incident, contact Detective Aaron Ides at 816-969-1668.

This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Lee’s Summit fire set to cover up burglary."