Four juveniles injured, one dead after crash in southwest Kansas
13 February 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — One person was injured, and a house was significantly damaged after a fire Sunday afternoon.
According to Wichita Fire Department (WFD) Battalion Chief Chad Dunham, they received a report of a garage fire around 4:10 p.m. in the 500 block of N. Rainbow Lake Rd.
Upon arrival, Dunham says there was a heavy fire in a two-car garage attached to a house.
Firefighters began fighting the fire in the garage and then moved to the house.
“The fire did make it into the house pretty significantly,” Dunham said. “It went through the attic and got pretty good through the living room and kitchen and such.”
Dunham says three-quarters of the house was damaged.
“I ain’t gonna say it was not a complete loss, but it very well could be so,” Dunham said.
Dunham said a resident of the home was minorly injured when he went back into the home to get a pet and other personal items.
“When he came back out … he tripped, fell and had a small burn on him. But, we had him looked at by EMS, but he refused transport,” Dunham said.
Dunham says an investigation has started.
“He did say he ran, I believe, his smoker, some kind of pellet smoker or something, a day or two ago maybe and had it in the garage,” Dunham said. “And if it was still hot, it somehow could’ve smoldered, and you know, that’s kind of what they’re looking at pretty hard right now because he didn’t have anything else in there really.”