Apartment fire in south KC forces firefighters to evacuate, residents displaced

Firefighters contained a fire that spread through a south Kansas City apartment building and displaced at least 10 residents Monday.

Fire crews responded to the blaze shortly before 11 a.m. at the Gatehouse Apartments & Townhomes, near 116th Street and Winchester Avenue, in the Crossgates neighborhood, said Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins with the Kansas City Fire Department.

One firefighter was taken to a hospital for evaluation for “heat-related issues.” No serious injuries to residents were reported.

The fire damaged a building with 12 units, 8 of which were occupied, Hopkins said. Red Cross assistance was requested for 10 occupants.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, and an investigation is ongoing, Hopkins said.

After crews initially entered the burning building to attack the fire and search the space, they had to evacuate and fight the fire defensively, Hopkins said. Firefighters used ladder trucks to spray water down onto the fire below and eventually contained the blaze.

Michael Slowter, a resident of one of the damaged units, said he woke up to find his apartment full of smoke and his patio engulfed in flames. He watched as the fire grew on the roof and spread out of control, he said.

“Something just told me to get up, something made me jump up,” he said. “I don’t know what it was, but something made me jump up.”

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