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Massive fire in Overland Park, Kansas injures 3 firefighters, damages 17 homes

Fire started at unfinished apartment complex
Posted at 2:13 PM, Mar 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-21 06:35:27-04

Crews battled a fire at an apartment complex called The Royale at CityPlace in Overland Park, Kansas Monday afternoon into the evening.

Firefighters were called to the apartment complex around 3:30 p.m. local time Monday. The building is still under construction.

Three firefighters sustained minor injuries while treating the fire and sustained minor injuries.

17 houses were damaged in all as the fire spread to adjacent properties due to the wind.

 

 

Jason Rhodes, a spokesman with the Overland Park Fire Department, said that construction materials and chemicals likely inside the apartment may have caused the fire to spread more quickly. 

Rhodes described the area as "a bit of a war zone."

"There has been nothing of this magnitude in my 10 years here," said Rhodes.

Every fire department in Johnson County came to help fight the 8-plus-alarm fire, Rhodes said, and crews from Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Kansas, and Lawrence also came to the scene.