By Assistant Chief Jim Eden

LEE’S SUMMIT, MO– On Tuesday, February 15, 2022, at 9:25 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 1500 Block of NE Whitestone Drive. The occupant reported a fire on the back of the house, and everyone was evacuating.

When the fire department arrived, smoke and fire was coming from the back of a raised-ranch, single-family home. All occupants were safe outside.

The fire had spread up the back of the structure and into the attic. Firefighters controlled the fire on the back of the house and deck as crews entered the house to fight the fire that spread to the interior. A search of the structure confirmed that everyone was out. The fire was under control by 10:10 p.m.

The fire originated outside the house and spread into the kitchen/dining room area through the glass door, and into the attic through the eaves. The fire caused extensive damage to the deck, kitchen/dining area, finished attic, and roof. The remainder of the house sustained heat and smoke damage. 

High wind contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. The cause of the fire is considered to be electrical in origin, involving a heat lamp to heat a chicken coop. Unfortunately, the chickens did not survive.