Nov. 16, 2019

By Assistant Chief Jim Eden

On Saturday, November 16, 2019, at 11:44 a.m. the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire at 1712 NE Auburn Drive. The occupant of the house smelled smoke and discovered the fire in the basement.

When the fire department arrived, light smoke was visible from a single family residence. The occupants of the house were safe outside.

Firefighters entered the house and quickly extinguished a fire in a basement bedroom. A search of the house confirmed no one was inside and the fire had not spread. The incident was under control by 12:13 p.m.

The fire originated in a basement bedroom. A closed door kept the fire damage contained to the room of origin, although there was still moderate smoke damage to the remainder of the house. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.

The cause of the fire was determined to be a smoldering paper towel that was used to light a candle and improperly discarded into a trash can, igniting the materials in the can.