'My heart just sank': Neighbors react after man critically injured in Brookside fire
The fire broke out around 5:15 a.m. at a home near 59th and Locust
The fire broke out around 5:15 a.m. at a home near 59th and Locust
The fire broke out around 5:15 a.m. at a home near 59th and Locust
A man is in critical condition after a fire engulfed his Brookside home at 59th and Locust streets early Friday morning.
Home surveillance video shows the lights and sirens neighbors heard and saw just after 5 a.m. Friday, after they were woken up by a jarring sound.
“I heard this huge boom, didn't really know what was going on. I was like, was that a gunshot? Bomb?” said Amanda Hanneman. She lives across the street from a house that’s now a burned-out shell, the aftermath of the flames she saw when she ran outside.
“I mean it was huge,” she said, “and with all the wind, you know, it just carries it and we're just, like, hoping it doesn't spread.”
The high winds were a challenge for firefighters, who worked quickly to attack the flames and defend surrounding homes.
“Our crews did an amazing job stopping the fire and protecting the easements so that other neighbors' houses would not catch fire as well,” said Jason Spreitzer with the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department.
He says a neighbor called 911 and firefighters were on the scene in minutes, pulling a man from inside the burning home.
“The neighbors are the reason why he's alive,” Spreitzer said.
The man was in critical condition, suffering severe burns and smoke inhalation. Neighbors in the tight-knit community are concerned.
“We're kind of just making sure, hopefully, everybody's OK,” said Hanneman. “And that's the biggest thing that we're worried about.”
“You don't even recognize the house anymore, and it was pretty shocking that somebody could really survive that so I really hope that he can pull through,” said Kerry Robinson, who lived in the neighborhood for 14 years. She came back to check on the friends she calls family.
“This neighborhood is just really close to our hearts,” she said. “My heart just sank. I just had to come by this morning and just see if there were other neighbors out.”
Neighbors are ready to help however they can.
“I mean, anything that we can do with the house, with the couple, I mean, we're more than willing to help out,” said Hanneman. “We just wish the best for them, especially at this time.”
Firefighters are still looking into what caused the fire. Neighbors say the man who lives at the house is on oxygen. Investigators will be looking into whether that played a role.