Person of interest sought in ‘suspicious’ Overland Park apartment fire, police say
Overland Park’s police and fire departments are seeking the public’s help finding a man believed to be associated with a suspicious fire that started in a two-story apartment building on Wednesday evening.
A little after 7 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to the Melrose at the Casa Del Fuente Apartments in the 11700 block of Melrose Street for a reported apartment fire. First responders reported smoke coming from the ground floor of the two-story building.
Residents emptied out of the neighboring apartments while crews simultaneously extinguished a small fire that appeared to originate from the bedroom of one apartment, according to a news release from the fire department. No injuries were reported, officials said at the time, and the residents of the apartment where the fire began were not home.
Police say a man, described as a person of interest, was seen arriving before and leaving immediately after the fire started. He was wearing round-frame eyeglasses, gray jogging pants and a white T-shirt, police said, and appeared to be between 25 and 35 years old. The SUV he was driving was later spotted by a nearby traffic camera, police said.
The vehicle is described as an older-model Chevy Traverse or Chevy Equinox. It is dark gray and was pictured with a temporary license plate.
The Overland Park Police Department is asking anyone with information to call 913-344-8743.
