A fast-moving house fire displaced a Fairway family of four on Monday evening.
Firefighters from three area departments were called to the 5500 block of Aberdeen Road at 5:20 p.m.
Arriving fire crews reported heavy fire from the single-car garage of the house.
Consolidated Fire District No. 2 Chief Steve Chick Jr. told the Post that a family of four, two adults and two teenagers, lived in the house.
Chick said one of the adults and both teenagers were home at the time of the fire. All three were able to evacuate the house safely before the firefighters arrived.
“They reported hearing some strange sounds and some form of explosion from the garage, shortly after placing a lithium-ion battery used for the lawnmower on the charger,” Chick said. “The wife indicated that the fire spread very fast while they were calling 911.”
It took about an hour to bring the blaze under control.
Home suffered significant damage
Chick said that fire investigators were able to locate the component remains of the lithium-ion battery pack during their investigation, confirming what the family had reported hearing.
“Fire substantially damaged the north end of the multi-story residence, but the significant volume of fire charged the entire structure with smoke, and there is smoke damage throughout the home,” Chick said, adding that they had ruled it an “accidental fire.”
A car that was parked in the garage was also destroyed by the fire.
The response to the fire included assistance from the Overland Park and Shawnee fire departments, as well as paramedics from Johnson County Med-Act.
Additional firefighters and paramedics were called to the scene just after 6 p.m. due to the hot weather.
Firefighters worked in scorching heat
An extreme heat warning was in effect at the time of the fire, with heat indices ranging from 105°F to 115°F across Johnson County.
Med-Act paramedics on scene worked to ensure that firefighters remained hydrated and as cool as possible by distributing water and wet towels. Fans were also set up to keep air moving as firefighters tried to cool off between rotations, battling the fire.
“The heat and humidity of the day were grueling, so thankfully, there were no civilian or firefighter injuries,” Chick said. “Fighting fire in this kind of heat takes a toll on firefighters.”
Chick thanked Med-Act for their efforts to ensure everyone remained healthy throughout the firefight.
“Certainly our thoughts are with the family, as this damage to their home is unexpected and difficult to process,” Chick told the Post.
A damage estimate is expected to be available later on Tuesday morning.
