ATF response team investigating apartment building fire that displaced 30 families

Dec. 29—A national response team with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will investigate the cause of a fire that destroyed an apartment building Monday night in Kansas City.

The "elite" team will arrive Wednesday morning, said ATF spokesman Jon Ham.

The team's involvement in the investigation does not mean officials believe the fire was intentionally set, Ham said.

The Kansas City Fire Department and the police department's bomb and arson unit will continue to investigate the blaze on Tuesday before the ATF team arrives.

The fire was reported shortly after 8 p.m. Monday at the Waldo Heights Apartments at 8024 Troost Avenue.

Crews were initially hindered by road access issues and a lack of fire hydrants in the area, assistant fire chief Jimmy Walker said Monday night at the scene.

Two people jumped from the third story of the building, but were not seriously injured. At least one person was rescued by the fire department.

Firefighters were able to conduct a search of the first and second floors. Most of the third floor was also searched, but crews were evacuated after the roof started to collapse. Walker said there no reports of anyone missing.

Large plumes of smoke and flames poured from the building's top floor as crews doused the fire from aerial ladders.

Crews battled the fire from an exterior, or defensive position, for several hours. The building was a complete loss, the fire department said.

The Red Cross has assisted about 30 families, spokeswoman Angie Springs said. Some were able to stay with family or friends while others are staying at a nearby hotel.

"We just got past Christmas, now we're moving into the new year," Springs said. "Winter weather has moved in today. What a horrible time to be faced with losing your home. But the great news is, the Red Cross is there and this is what we do each and every day, 365 days a year."

The Salvation Army is also helping residents replace necessities they lost in the fire. Residents can fill out the form here to request assistance.

The last time the ATF's response team was in Kansas City was in October 2015 after two firefighters were killed in a blaze on Independence Avenue.

Crews on ladders rescued two people from the building in the 2600 block of Independence Avenue before the roof collapsed, injuring four firefighters. Two of them died.

An investigation found the fire was intentionally set by a woman who ignited gallons of flammable liquids in her nail salon in an attempt to get an insurance check.

She was later convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of second-degree assault, and was sentenced in September 2018 to 74 years in prison.

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