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Blue Springs, MO —
A multi-alarm fire quickly destroyed a building in the Autumn Place Apartment Homes complex in Blue Springs Wednesday evening.
Central Jackson County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Eddie Saffell said the building, which housed approximately 20 families, was a total loss.
Saffell said one elderly man was rescued by firefighters and suffered what he thought was smoke inhalation but said the remaining residents escaped without injury.
Saffell said they received the call around 5:30 p.m., prompting a call to three CJC companies, including a pair of ladder trucks. Calls for assistance then went out to the Independence and Lee’s Summit fire departments.
“The fire appeared to start in the center of the building and blew out from there,” Saffell said. “It was fully involved when we got here.
“We went in, but because of the fire and the heat, it forced us back out pretty quickly, so we adopted a defensive attack at that point. The floors, walls and ceilings were too unstable to go back in.”
Saffell said fire officials thought the fire started on the second floor of the 600 building and quickly spread to the third floor in the building, which had 25 two-bedroom units, according to Alex Smith, an Autumn Place resident and worker.
Smith said it only took about 45 minutes for the entire roof to be consumed by the fire.
Some residents said they heard rumors of fireworks starting the blaze, but Saffell said there was no way to confirm that at this point.
“Right now we don’t have a reason,” Saffell said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to the residents yet about what they saw or knew. Investigators are on the scene and will be talking to them soon.”
JoAnn Woody, an emergency service manager with the American Red Cross, said approximately 20 families will be homeless because of the blaze. Smith said approximately 30 to 35 people reside in the building off Northwest Candletree Drive, which backs up to the car dealerships on Northwest South Outer Road.
“Till we meet with the families, we won’t know exactly how many there are,” she said. “We’re starting to interview the families and see what kind of shelter and clothing they will need assistance with.”
Smith said she noticed the fire when she walked out to take her trash out about 5:30.
“I first saw smoke and then I came around the corner and the whole building was up in flames,” Smith said. “It looked like it started in the center of the second floor and spread out from there.”
A multi-alarm fire quickly destroyed a building in the Autumn Place Apartment Homes complex in Blue Springs Wednesday evening.
Central Jackson County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Eddie Saffell said the building, which housed approximately 20 families, was a total loss.
Saffell said one elderly man was rescued by firefighters and suffered what he thought was smoke inhalation but said the remaining residents escaped without injury.
Saffell said they received the call around 5:30 p.m., prompting a call to three CJC companies, including a pair of ladder trucks. Calls for assistance then went out to the Independence and Lee’s Summit fire departments.
“The fire appeared to start in the center of the building and blew out from there,” Saffell said. “It was fully involved when we got here.
“We went in, but because of the fire and the heat, it forced us back out pretty quickly, so we adopted a defensive attack at that point. The floors, walls and ceilings were too unstable to go back in.”
Saffell said fire officials thought the fire started on the second floor of the 600 building and quickly spread to the third floor in the building, which had 25 two-bedroom units, according to Alex Smith, an Autumn Place resident and worker.
Smith said it only took about 45 minutes for the entire roof to be consumed by the fire.
Some residents said they heard rumors of fireworks starting the blaze, but Saffell said there was no way to confirm that at this point.
“Right now we don’t have a reason,” Saffell said. “We haven’t had a chance to talk to the residents yet about what they saw or knew. Investigators are on the scene and will be talking to them soon.”
JoAnn Woody, an emergency service manager with the American Red Cross, said approximately 20 families will be homeless because of the blaze. Smith said approximately 30 to 35 people reside in the building off Northwest Candletree Drive, which backs up to the car dealerships on Northwest South Outer Road.
“Till we meet with the families, we won’t know exactly how many there are,” she said. “We’re starting to interview the families and see what kind of shelter and clothing they will need assistance with.”
Smith said she noticed the fire when she walked out to take her trash out about 5:30.
“I first saw smoke and then I came around the corner and the whole building was up in flames,” Smith said. “It looked like it started in the center of the second floor and spread out from there.”
“It went really fast,” said another resident, Becky Frey. “It was like a tower of flames coming out of it. I work with one of the women in there, but I know she’s OK.”
Said another resident, Zeus Radcliff: “The roof was intact when I saw it, but it went up quick.”
Smith said she felt bad for the residents who were without a home on a holiday night and likely lost most of their possessions.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “Some of those people I know personally, and you can’t do anything about it except stand there and watch it burn.”
Saffell said the residents got out safely because the apartments appeared to be properly equipped with alarms.
Saffell estimated that 30 to 40 CJC firefighters were working the blaze with assistance from two trucks each from the Independence and Lee’s Summit departments. Because of the heat, which reached as high as 102 degrees in the metro area, firefighters were working in shifts to avoid heat illness.
“Because of the heat, they were rotating out quicker than normal, and we’re giving them water and checking their vitals,” Saffell said of the firefighters. “We’ve got a lot of crews out here, so that helps.”
Firefighters will remain at the site throughout the night to put out hot spots and make sure it doesn’t spread anywhere. Saffell said firefighters also had to douse a couple grass fires near the car dealerships that were apparently sparked by the blaze.
“My reaction was, ‘I just can’t believe this is happening,’” Smith said.
A large crowd made up of mostly residents of the apartment complex gathered to watch the firefighters battle the blaze. One man was arrested when he appeared to be making an effort to get into the burning building.
