Two people died and a third person was injured when fire engulfed an Overland Park, Kansas, home early Monday, Overland Park Fire Chief Bryan Dehner said.
The two victims killed in the fire are believed to be in their 30s. A third person who was taken to the hospital is the mother of one of the victims, Dehner said.
A person from inside the house called 911 about 1:20 a.m. saying the home was on fire and that people were still inside, possibly trapped.
The caller didn’t know the home’s address, but dispatchers were able to get fire crews heading in the right direction and didn’t delay firefighters’ response, Dehner said. Dispatchers were able to narrow down the location of the fire and as firefighters got closer it was obvious which house was ablaze.
Arriving firefighters reported heavy smoke and flames coming from the home in the 10300 block of Westgate Street. Because the home is located near the border with Lenexa, firefighters from both cities responded, Dehner said.
As fire crews attacked the blaze, other firefighters entered the house and began searching for victims. Other firefighters used ladders on the outside to try to get to the victims.
As many as six people, including three teenagers, were inside the home at the time of the fire. Some had gotten out on their own and some had gone back inside to help others get out, Dehner said.
Firefighters found two people upstairs who had died in the blaze, he said.
“Fire was between us and them, so it just made it challenging getting in there,” Dehner said. “Crews were on the outside trying to reach them.”
Fire crews were able to contain the fire to the house. It caused significant heat and smoke damage throughout the inside of the home.
Investigators with the Johnson County Crime Lab were helping investigate the cause and origin of the fire as well as whether there were working smoke alarms in the home.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Dehner wanted to remind people that smoke detectors are the best chance of surviving a house fire.
People who don’t have a working smoke detector in their homes should all their local fire departments which have programs to provide one for free.
