An Overland Park family was able to escape their burning home unharmed early Monday morning.
Officials with the Overland Park Fire Department say smoke alarms alerted the family, including two adults and three children, to the fire before dawn, allowing them to get out of the home in time.
Two pets were also home at the time of the fire and escaped with the family, according to a statement from Overland Park fire officials.
Firefighters from Overland Park, Leawood and Olathe all responded to the two-alarm blazed in the 14000 block of Hayes Street just before 4 a.m. Monday.
That’s in a subdivision immediately south of the Blue Valley Recreation Sports Complex and also near the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead.
The fire took roughly two hours to be brought under control, according to the Overland Park Fire statement.
The home suffered “significant damage and is likely a loss,” according to Overland Park Fire Department Media Manager Jason Rhodes.
Rhodes said an investigation determined the fire started in a fire pit used on a wooden deck on the back of the home on Sunday night.
The fire pit was “not completely extinguished” after being used and ignited the deck and home overnight.
The displaced family is working with their insurance to find temporary lodging, according to Rhodes.
Rhodes went on to say that the incident is a reminder to keep fire pits on non-flammable surfaces, like stone or brick, and to keep them at least 10 feet away from anything that can burn.
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