15 June 2023
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 160 firefighters from dozens of units are fighting a large fire that consumed a wood pallet-building business in Kansas City’s Northeast Industrial District.
Firefighters responded to emergency at the warehouse near Monroe and Nicholson Avenues shortly after 12 p.m. Thursday.
Firefighters searched the building and then moved out of the building to tackle the fire.
“They moved into a defensive posture, meaning they put the ladder sticks up all the way to the top and extended them and we have a large amount of water,” Jason Spreitzer, KCFD, said.
One firefighter was sent to a hospital for heat exhaustion. Spreitzer said there are other firefighters that are being treated for minor burns because of the heat of the fire.
Firefighters are also working to keep the fire from spreading to another building that sits east of the pallet warehouse.
“The whole yard is one gigantic flame for us. When I say that I mean flames were shooting up as high as 100 feet in the air. Our crews are doing everything they can right now to make sure that all commercial properties and the residential properties are safe,” Spreitzer said.
There is a business to the east that firefighters are trying to protect.
“The heat of the flames is causing the metal siding on that business to melt,” Spreitzer said.
According to Spreitzer, the fire has to be at least 3,000 degrees to melt that type of metal.
The firefighters worked to protect the homes in the neighborhood. Spreitzer said the wind is not putting the homes in any danger as of early Thursday afternoon.
The fire is 2,500 feet by 2,500 feet according to Spreitzer. It is so large that black smoke can be seen from as far north as Liberty and as far south as Lee’s Summit.
Spreitzer said firefighters will have to fight the fire for hours before it is extinguished.
This is a developing story that will be updated as additional information is released.