Olathe house catches fire after lightning strike

Lightning has been determined as the cause of an evening house fire in Olathe over the weekend as severe storms rolled through the area. The Olathe Fire Department says that around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, emergency crews were called to the 15600 block of S. Downing St. - near South Downs Park - with reports of a house fire. When first responders arrived, they said they found a fire in the attic. It took nearly 20 minutes to bring it under control. No injuries were reported; however, damage to the home is significant. Investigators cited lightning as the cause of the fire. As of 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, lightning has caused three related incidents.
KCTV CBS 5 Kansas City

Crews rescue one person from house fire in Topeka

Crews rescued one person from a house fire on SW Belle Ave. in Topeka, Kan. According to the Topeka Fire Department, just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, April 27, crews responded to a reported house fire at 2600 SW Belle Ave. Topeka Fire Department said upon arrival, crews found smoke and flames coming from the rear of the residence. Firefighters performed a primary search and located an occupant, who they rescued from the house. No injuries were reported from the incident. Crews extinguished the fire and kept it contained to the structure where it originated. A Topeka Fire Department Investigation Unit responded to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Topeka Fire Department officials said the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to an electrical issue.
WIBW-TV CBS 13 Topeka

Apartments damaged in fire near downtown Wichita

Wichita fire crews responded to an apartment fire west of downtown on Wednesday. The fire broke out around 8:50 a.m. at the Villa Del Mar Apartments at Nims and Central. The Wichita Fire Department said they found fire on the exterior balcony and in two apartments on the lower and second levels. A fire official says one apartment was occupied at the time, and all people were able to escape. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire before it spread any further. An investigation revealed the cause of the fire was a cigarette that was improperly disposed of on a balcony.
KSNW-TV NBC 3 Wichita

Lightning causes fire in rural Harvey County

Crews were on the scene of a fire in rural Harvey County Thursday afternoon. According to a social media report from Newton Fire and EMS, C-Shift, Station 3, assisted Whitewater Fire on a rural structure fire in southeast Harvey County. No people or pets were injured in this incident. The cause of the fire was determined to be from lightning. Authorities released no additional details.
Salina Post

Shawnee first responders reunite with teen who helped save man’s life

VIDEO: First responders in Shawnee, Kansas, reunite with the teen who helped save a man’s life. The cyclist who suffered a cardiac event in Shawnee has a message to the strangers and first responders who saved his live. Shawnee police and fire departments came together to meet 17-year-old Marina Johnson for a second time. The first was a stressful situation when everyone was focused on saving a life. “It means a lot. I never thought that it would come down to that, me helping somebody survive,” Johnson said. She saw a man, Dave Kurovski riding his bicycle, then collapse, near Johnson Drive and Woodland Drive. Johnson called 911, while several other strangers pulled over to jump in and start CPR. The cyclist who collapsed lost his pulse. Patrol Sgt. Derek Miller said Kurovski was only down for about 15 seconds without CPR.
WDAF-TV FOX 4 Kansas City