Assistant Chief Jim Eden
Assistant Chief Dan Manley
Lee’s Summit Fire Department

On Thursday, August 3, at 11:47 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to a structure fire at Performance Food Group (PFG), 290 SE Thompson Drive. Employees coming to work discovered a fire involving a refrigerated semi-trailer parked against the dock door.

When crews arrived, the fire had engulfed the box trailer at the dock door of a large food distribution warehouse. A second alarm was requested for additional personnel and equipment.

The fire was in the trailer’s refrigeration unit and spread through the trailer to the building through the open trailer door. The dock door was closed, slowing the fire’s spread. Firefighters attacked the fire in the trailer as crews entered the building to check for fire spread inside. Heat damage to the door allowed heavy smoke to enter the dock area, but firefighters contained the fire before it could spread inside. Once the fire in the trailer was under control, crews ventilated the facility to remove the smoke from the dock area. Occupants of the building had evacuated and were accounted for. The incident was under control by 12:25 a.m.

The fire caused extensive damage to the trailer and dock door. There was heat damage to the outside of another trailer located at the dock next to it. The inside of the dock door and the wall above it sustained heat and smoke damage.

The fire originated in the trailer’s refrigeration unit and spread to the insulated panels. The cause of the fire in the refrigeration unit is undetermined. The trailer was empty at the time of the fire, with the refrigeration unit running.

Jackson County Environmental Health was on the scene evaluating smoke damage in the building to ensure the safety and integrity of the food items stored within the premises.