The fire started about 6 a.m. at a single-family residence in the 3700 block of Northeast 53rd Terrace.
Flames and smoke quickly engulfed the house. Firefighters found the bodies of the two adults inside. After the fire was brought under control, they found the body of a child, said Chief Smokey Dyer of the Kansas City Fire Department.
Neighbors told firefighters that the family included another child, so a painstaking search began for any other victims in the home. Authorities later determined the second child was staying with relatives.
The names of the victims were not released, and the medical examiner's office said it did not expect to do so until today. Neighbors said the two children were girls, ages 2 and 4. The 4-year-old was staying the night with a grandmother, they said.
Dyer said the fire started in the kitchen, at or near the range. Investigators determined that smoke alarms in the home had been installed improperly. Damage was estimated at $70,000 to the structure and $40,000 to the contents.
