A heavy fire tore through the third floor of a three-story apartment building in the 7800 block of North Holly late Sunday night, sending a Kansas City firefighter to the hospital and leaving two dozen units impacted. Kansas City Fire Department crews were called to the occupied building near NW 79th Street and North Holly Street, west of Highway 169, at about 10:45 p.m.
Crews arrived to find heavy fire on the building's third floor, according to kshb.com. One firefighter was taken to the hospital for evaluation of minor injuries, and as of publication, no other injuries had been reported. The blaze was later described as a second-alarm fire at the Falcon Point Apartments, according to KCTV5.
KCFD said the fire affected 24 apartment units in total, underscoring the scale of the blaze in what was an occupied residential building at the time crews arrived.
Crews Knock Down Flames, Shift to Search and Overhaul
Firefighters brought the fire under control and then re-entered the building to conduct secondary searches and perform salvage and overhaul work, the same report noted. As part of the response, the fire department requested assistance from Dangerous Buildings and City Planning, a step typically taken when a structure's safety needs further assessment after a major fire.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation by the Kansas City Fire Department as of Monday, per the FOX4KC.com report on the incident, co-authored by Brian Dulle and Kathy Quinn. No further details on the origin of the blaze or a timeline for completing that investigation have been released.
Second KCFD Injury Report in Months
Monday's incident marked at least the second time this year that a Kansas City Fire Department crew member has been hurt while battling an apartment fire. Back in late May, two KCFD firefighters were taken to the hospital with injuries after fighting a separate apartment fire, according to a report from FOX4KC.com at the time. KMBC also summarized Sunday night's fire in its Monday roundup, noting that a Kansas City, Missouri firefighter sustained minor injuries while responding to the blaze.
As of the latest reporting, officials had not released the firefighter's condition beyond the initial evaluation for minor injuries, nor had they provided an estimate of property damage from the fire. KCFD's investigation into what sparked the flames on North Holly Street continues.
