By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- Kansas City, Mo. — A second-alarm fire tore through an outbuilding at Central Missouri Reload Inc., sending flames skyward visible to morning commuters. No injuries reported. FireRescue1
- Time/Place: Crews dispatched ~6:15 a.m., 3900 E. 14th Terrace (east of downtown, near Jackson Curve). FireRescue1
- Tactics/Water: Immediate defensive attack; multiple aerial master streams; water relays from three hydrants(one on-site, others ~3–4 blocks away). FireRescue1
- Overhaul: Fire under control before 9 a.m.; KCFD deployed its firefighting robot during cleanup/overhaul. FireRescue1
- Impact: Owner estimates “close to a $5 million loss”; cause under investigation. FireRescue1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City firefighters mounted a large defensive operation Tuesday morning after a lumberyard outbuilding erupted in flames east of downtown, driving columns of smoke visible along the Jackson Curve. No injuries were reported, officials said. FireRescue1
Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins said companies arrived about 6:15 a.m. at Central Missouri Reload Inc., 3900 E. 14th Terrace, and found stacks of lumber in a detached structure fully involved. Crews immediately shifted to large-caliber streams from multiple aerials to contain the fire. The incident was placed under control shortly before 9 a.m., with firefighters then unpiling materials to reach deep-seated fire. FireRescue1
Water supply required an expanded assignment: while a hydrant sat in front of the business, KCFD also pulled water from two additional hydrants about three blocks and more than four blocks away to feed the master streams and long hose lays. At the height of the incident, the department had about 12 fire trucks and three ambulances on scene; several were released as overhaul progressed. FireRescue1
Owner Keith Fletcher said the 40-year-old operation has faced three fires in the past year, previously blamed on nearby encampments. He estimated “close to a $5 million loss” from Tuesday’s blaze. The exact cause remains under investigation. FireRescue1
KCFD also deployed its new firefighting robot to assist with overhaul operations around smoldering lumber stacks and hotspots. Officials urged anyone spotting smoke or fire to call 911 promptly, noting the fire “had grown rather large” by the time first units arrived. FireRescue1