Dec. 21--An 80-year-old grandmother and two young grandchildren huddled together in a bedroom early this morning after they opened the bedroom's door and discovered their kitchen ablaze.
Firefighters found the grandmother and two girls, 10 and 13 years old, trapped in the bedroom when they searched the apartment.
Firefighters rescued them to the safety of the lobby, where the grandmother was treated for minor smoke inhalation. She was taken to the hospital non-emergency for observation.
The fire was discovered about 4 a.m. in an apartment building at 700 Nebraska Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.
Arriving firefighters discovered smoke on the fifth floor of the building. Firefighters entered the apartment and quickly extinguished the fire in the kitchen area.
They also found the grandmother and children who had taken refuge in the apartment's bedroom. They told firefighters that they smelled smoke and when they opened the bedroom door they saw the kitchen on fire.
They closed the door to keep the smoke out and took refuge in the bedroom to await rescue.
Fire investigators said unattended cooking started the fire, which caused $5,000 in damages. A fire sprinkler prevented the fire from spreading to other apartments.
There were no other injuries.
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--Robert A. Cronkleton, [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - The Kansas City Star
