A man died Sunday afternoon in a fire that started in the front of a one-story home, Kansas City fire officials said.
The fire started about 3 p.m. in the 6600 block of Indiana Avenue. Firefighters had to force down a door to gain entrance and found the home full of smoke, said Battalion Chief Greg Vincent.
The victim, who has not been identified, was in the front room, Vincent said. The man was apparently the only person home at the time of the fire.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames and were trying to determine the cause of the fire.
Neighbor James Meador said a couple had lived in the home for more than 28 years and frequently sat near the front window.
Vincent said the home only had one working smoke detector - and it was lying on a dresser at a far end of the home. The smoke detector was going off when firefighters arrived.
Vincent stressed the importance of homes having working smoke detectors. He said many of the city's fatal fires happen in single-family dwellings that have no smoke detectors or ones that do not function properly.
