Two Kan. Police Officers Injured During Apartment Fire

By Matti Gellman

Source The Kansas City Star

Two Overland Park police officers were sent to a hospital after responding to an apartment fire on Friday.

A crew of police and firefighters arrived just before 11 a.m. to a fire at the Casa de Fuentes apartment complex at 117th Street and Sterns Ave. Two police officers at the scene suffered injuries from inhaling smoke while evacuating the building.

They were transported to an area hospital for treatment, said Jason Rhodes, a spokesman for the fire department.

Those inside the building were evacuated and uninjured, but the resident of the apartment on fire could not be found, he said.

Crews have been not been able to search the apartment on fire because of a severe hoarding situation. Rhodes described the pileup of items preventing responders from entering as "massive."

He said they are working to pull more of the items outside so that the apartment could be searched.

The Overland Park Fire Department said the fire was under control, despite the hoarding conditions, in a message shared over social media.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

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