Firefighters battle two-alarm fire at Shawnee apartment complex

By Caroline Boyer

June 26, 2009 - Shawnee Dispatch



A two-alarm fire damaged a 12-unit building and displaced 19 residents in a Shawnee apartment complex Friday afternoon.

With temperatures hovering around 93 degrees, the fire brought 12 firefighter crews to the Valencia Hills apartment complex. Shawnee Fire Marshal John Mattox said four crews responded to the initial call at 3:19 p.m. for the complex, located between 65th and 67th Streets on Bluejacket Road, and because of the heat, it was necessary to issue a second alarm, eventually bringing in eight more crews from Merriam, Lenexa, Overland Park and Johnson County Fire District No. 2.

Mattox explained that firefighters could only fight the fire for a limited amount of time because of the simmering outdoor temperatures.

"They have to rest for so long before they can can be reassigned, so that's why we had to keep calling in trucks," he said.

The fire was mostly out by 4:20 p.m. Mattox said two of the 12 apartments in the building were unoccupied, and all 19 residents of the building - 11 adults and eight children - had evacuated when fire officials arrived, with fire showing through the roof.

The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to a maintenance worker repairing plumbing in a bathroom on the third floor. The plumber was using an acetylene torch and accidentally caught the insulation and fiberglass tub enclosure on fire. Damage was mostly contained to two units and the roof of the building, estimated between $200,000 and $250,000.

The American Red Cross was on the scene to assist the displaced residents.