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

Olathe garbage truck fire blamed on improperly disposed lithium ion battery

VIDEO: A spokesperson for the City of Olathe says a lithium ion battery is behind the fire that damaged one of their garbage trucks last week. They’re saying it’s a good reminder to not put those items, like rechargeable electronics, into the trash. At Olathe’s Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off (open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, free to residents of Johnson County, Kansas) Supervisor Grant Tarr says people need to understand risks of throwing certain things in the trash. “Lithium poses the biggest risk because of thermal runaway,” Tarr said. “Power tools, your computer batteries, these little guys that most people don’t think of in your key fobs and hearing aids,” he said. “One little battery for your key fob can cause a fire instantly.” “So we’ll basically start to douse it, we’ll start to separate it to make sure we get all the heat. And it’s kind of just a slow, dirty process,” Captain Mike Hall with the Olathe Fire Department said.
WDAF-TV FOX 4 Kansas City

2 critically injured in south Wichita house fire

At least two people suffered critical injuries in a house fire reported Wednesday evening in the 2100 block of South Water, near Mount Vernon and South Broadway. Wichita Fire Department Captain Scott Trask said crews responded to the call a little before 6:30 p.m. and found heavy smoke coming from a house off the main street, behind another home. From that scene, two people were taken to a local hospital in critical condition. As of Wednesday night, a possible cause of the fire hadn’t been confirmed. Trask said the two people injured in the fire live at the home.
KWCH-TV CBS 12 Wichita

Man arrested in connection with arson at Manhattan hotel

A man was behind bars in the Riley County Jail on Thursday morning following his arrest in connection with arson in Manhattan. According to Riley County Police officials, the incident was reported around 7:19 a.m. Wednesday at a building in the 500 block of S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The Little Apple Post indicated the location was the Parkwood Inn and Suites. Riley County police units and the Manhattan Fire Department responded to the scene. Upon their arrival, fire crews discovered an activated fire sprinkler head on the fourth floor of the building. Fire investigators determined an unknown item was ignited near the sprinkler head, causing it to activate. The fire loss was estimated to be $500, with the area sustaining what officials said was significant water damage.
WIBW-TV CBS 13 Topeka