Stairwell Collapse Drops KS Firefighters into Basement

Four firefighters were released from the hospital after they were rescued from the basement of a Shawnee house fire following a stair collapse.

By Andrea Klick

Source The Kansas City Star

July 6, 2022

2 min read

Four firefighters were injured Tuesday night when a stairwell collapsed at a house fire.

Four firefighters were injured when a stairwell collapsed as they worked to extinguish a blaze inside a home Tuesday night in Shawnee, a fire department spokesman said.

Firefighters from several departments responded to the blaze at 9:10 p.m. Tuesday in the 4600 block of Silverheel Street, Shawnee Fire Department Chief Rick Potter said. Crews from Olathe, Overland Park and other Johnson County fire departments were brought in to help.

When the stairwell collapsed, Potter said some firefighters fell through to the basement and others were trapped.

Four Shawnee firefighters were injured in the collapse or as crews rescued them. They were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and have been released from the hospital.

Potter said the rescue team moved quickly and did its job to help their fellow firefighters escape. He said he’s proud of his department and others for following their training and handling the situation.

“There are a lot of emotions, a range of emotion,” Potter said, “most of which this morning are relief. Relief for the outcome we had, relief that the outcome was good last night.”

A fifth firefighter was treated for heat-related purposes.

The residents escaped from the home uninjured before firefighters arrived.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.