VIDEO: The Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department responded to a large fire at a vacant, historic building on Knickerbocker Place overnight.
Firefighters were called to the Knickerbocker Apartments at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday.
41 Action News cameras recorded flames shooting from the roof of the three-story building. An investigator from the fire department said most likely homeless people staying in the building caused the fire.
The 114-year-old building is on Historic KC’s 2019 most endangered list. The group focused on preservation publishes a list of buildings in danger of being demolished every year. The Knickerbocker Apartments have been on the list since 2011.
Jackson County property records show The Kansas City Life Insurance Company owns the property. It has been vacant for years.
Historic KC said the building was first of its kind in Kansas City, Missouri, when it opened.