Local Briefs

Heat gun causes fire at house near LHS

A heat gun used to remove paint caused a fire Friday in a house just north of Lawrence High School, according to Lawrence firefighters.

Mark Bradford, deputy fire chief for Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical, said no one was injured in the fire, which caused about $5,000 damage.

Firefighters were called about noon to a 2 1/2-story wood-frame house at 1825 La. that had been converted into three apartments, Bradford said.

Above, Lawrence firefighters Scott Seratte, left, and Heath Bethard check for hot spots along a wall at the house.

“Our investigation revealed there were painters there today who were removing paint with a heat gun,” Bradford said. “That heat ignited something within the wall void that caused the fire.”

Smoke alarms alerted the three occupants who were home, and they were able to get out without harm, Bradford said.

Lawrence schools: Police investigate bullet in district building wall

Lawrence Police are investigating a bullet found lodged in the wall of a school district building that houses a number of children’s programs, including a preschool.

Employees at the district’s early-childhood services building, 1919 Del., discovered the bullet hole Thursday.

Police were called to the building Friday morning, and officers removed the bullet from a wall in Chris Anderson’s office.

“My office sits right next to our preschool classroom,” said Anderson, an early childhood specialist for the school district. “So when you look at it like that, it’s very serious. Had this happened during the day, and it did make its way through the plywood, it would have gone into one of the classrooms.”

Investigation: KBI determines suicide in missing-person case

Topeka — An Osage City man who was reported missing Monday committed suicide in Kansas City, Mo., the Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Friday.

Kerry L. Thompson’s body was found Tuesday.

The KBI and Osage City Police, however, are still seeking information about Thompson’s activities on Monday and Tuesday. Thompson may have been seen Monday in Olathe and at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KBI officials said.

Efforts are also continuing to find Thompson’s pickup truck. It was a 1996 green Ford Ranger with an extended cab. Its license plate was RAF 910.

Anyone with information is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or Osage City Police at (785) 528-3131.

SBC: Number for police wrong in new phone directories

Want to conduct police business? You might be asked for a donation instead.

In SBC phone books distributed last month, the phone number for Lawrence Police administration is incorrectly listed as 832-7400. That number is actually the main office number for the Kansas University Endowment Association, which raises money in support of KU.

“We’re fielding a lot of calls for the cops,” said John Scarffe, communications director for the Endowment Association.

The correct number for the police administration is 830-7400.