A two-alarm blaze damaged a building at the old Mill Street apartments in Kansas City, Kansas, Thursday, the second time in less than 24 hours firefighters responded a large fire at the vacant complex just off of Intestate 35 and Mission Road.
Firefighters responded to the fire about 6:40 a.m., said Assistant Chief Scott Schaunaman, a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department
Arriving fire crews reported that heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming from the building at 2025 S. Mill Street.
Because of the heavy amount of fire, firefighters set up a defensive attack, spraying water onto the fire from outside the building. Crews were able to bring the fire under control about 7:40 a.m.
Meanwhile, drivers headed in on their morning commutes into downtown Kansas City could see heavy smoke and flames coming from the complex, which is on a hill near Interstate 35 and Mission Road.
Fire crews remain at the scene conducting salvage and overhaul inside the building and extinguishing any hot spots to make sure the fire doesn’t rekindle.
This is the second two-alarm blaze at the apartment complex in the last 24 hours at the complex. Firefighters responded shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday to a fire at an adjacent building at 2409 S. Mill Street.
The cause of the fires were under investigation. Fire investigators will look into whether the fires were arson, which is common for any fire investigation, Schaunaman said.
Anyone who witnessed anyone suspicious around the complex is asked to call the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department arson hotline at 913-573-5555.
No one was hurt battling the fire.
A neighbor, who declined to be identified, said the apartment closed about nine years ago because they were deemed to be unfit.
They had black mold, rodents and mildew, the neighbor said.
He and other neighbors have been asking the neighborhood center to tear it down since, saying everyone who lives nearby has sinus issues. There has also been several other fires over the years.
At one point, he said one of the buildings was removed because the gas was left on and it blew up. He said another building was partially removed because there were two fires in it.
The man had asked the city and county to mow the grass because it was several feet high, but was told that city didn’t have money.
“I think they just don’t care being Wyandotte County,” he said. “It has to burn to the ground before they do anything. They say they don’t have the funds.”
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