As the community reacts to the fire at a Raytown apartment that claimed the life of a 5-year-old boy and hospitalized two other people, the details have emerged in the dramatic rescue mission that put firefighters in serious danger.
"The hose line burst. I don't know if it was cut or it burned or what, but they had to shelter in another part of the building where there wasn't fire," Raytown deputy fire chief Mike Hunley said.
Fire crews went to the second floor of the building to retrieve 5-year-old Jeremiah Roberts, and his 55-year-old grandmother and 18-month-old brother, where the fire had them trapped.
Investigators said the fire moved so quickly that the firefighters were forced to move to the third floor after their hose broke while another crew entered the building with a working hose line.
The trapped crew brought one victim to rescuers through a window and the other two through a staircase.