Jan. 18--A house fire in south-central Kansas City this morning appeared to be intentionally set after a domestic argument between the residents, according to police.
Kansas City police were called to the residence in the 6600 block of Wayne Avenue about 9:40 a.m. to investigate a possible domestic assault. When they arrived, officers saw flames coming from the house.
A woman told police that during an argument, her boyfriend had threatened to set the house on fire. The woman then went to a neighbor's house to call police. The suspect was gone when police arrived.
Witnesses also reported what sounded like shots being fired, but police said no one saw a weapon being fired.
Firefighters reported heavy flames coming from the rear of the home when they arrived. They initially attempted to fight the blaze from inside, but the intense flames forced firefighters to back off until the flames could be knocked down from the outside.
Police bomb and arson investigators were called to the scene. Fire officials estimated damage at $70,000 to $80,000. There were no injuries.
The house was built by Habitat for Humanity Kansas City. A spokeswoman said it was the first time one of the organization's homes had suffered a fire.
Amy Randolph, Habitat's director of marketing and development, said that since its founding in 1979, Habitat has built about 250 homes in the area and rehabilitated numerous others.
She said the organization will be assisting the woman and her two children with transitional housing, and Habitat plans to rebuild the dwelling if possible.
"We're thankful that the homeowner and her children are safe," she said.
--Tony Rizzo, [email protected]
Copyright 2012 - The Kansas City Star, Mo.
