An apartment building in the Gatehouse Apartments complex, near Blue Ridge Blvd and 116th Street, experienced a fire on July 22, displacing 10 residents.
A number of firefighters from the Kansas City and Grandview Fire Departments and emergency personnel arrived on the scene after receiving an emergency call around 10:45 a.m.
First crews on the scene reported a heavy focus fire shown from a two-story building and immediately went offensive, doing searches of the apartments and getting people evacuated, Michael Hopkins, Battalion Chief with the Kansas City Fire Department, told the Telegraph.
Shortly after the evacuation began, the blaze spread to the attic and ran across the roofline — necessitating the upgrade to a second-alarm fire.
“The fire was growing at such a rate that we couldn’t control it on an offensive attack,” Hopkins said. “They pulled everybody out and went defensive for a few minutes.”
The fire was contained from the outside around 11:30 a.m. Firefighters went back inside the building and extinguished the remaining “hot spots.”
Twelve units in the building were damaged, according to the Kansas City Fire Department.
There were no injuries to civilians; one person was evaluated on the scene because they reported feeling lightheaded but requested no further medical treatment, Hopkins said. A firefighter was transported to the hospital to be evaluated for “heat-related issues.”
Tuesday morning, Hopkins spoke with an investigator who classified the cause of the blaze as “undetermined,” as it was difficult to pinpoint an exact cause due to significant damage done to the building.
American Red Cross assistance was requested by the KCMO Fire Department around 11:50 am on Monday.
“We had three volunteers who responded to the scene immediately,” Angie Springs, the Development Communications Manager for the American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas, told the Telegraph. “We assisted 20 people, opening 8 cases.”
When a disaster, such as this one, occurs in the area, the American Red Cross assists with immediate emergency needs — food, clothing, shelter and essential items like medications and eyewear. In addition, volunteers help, in the coming days, the affected residents work on a recovery plan and connect them to other agencies to further assist with recovery.
The apartment complex also has a protocol to move the displaced residents to other available units, if needed.
The complex’s leasing office did not respond to requests for comment.