Fire destroys home just outside city

Flames engulf a home at 1779 E. 1338 Road around 11 a.m. Monday. The Wakarusa Township Fire Department responded first to the blaze, and was aided by several other township units. Nobody was home at the time of the fire.

Flames ripped through a house north of Lawrence on Monday morning, destroying the residence of a Douglas County woman and her son.

The cause of the blaze at 1779 E. 1338 Road remains under investigation by the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office.

The agency completed its on-scene investigation Monday and is expected to have a report complete by the end of the week, Wakarusa Township Fire Chief Chris Moore said.

“The structure is going to be a total loss,” Moore said of the damages. He estimated structural damage to be between $130,000 and $150,000.

Residents who live in the rural neighborhood knew something was wrong just before 11 a.m.

“I put my dog out, and I noticed it was a little bit hazy looking,” neighbor Katie Northern said. “Next thing you know, the house was on fire.”

Moore said the first unit to respond noted flames from the basement all the way up to the roof on two sides of the building, with the interior floor partially collapsed.

The Wakarusa Township department was the first to be dispatched to the scene because the residence is located outside the Lawrence city limits.

“This is considered the county so it took awhile,” Northern said, as she and her neighbors watched the township’s volunteer firefighters battle the blaze. “It seemed like it took awhile for the fire department to get down here, which I’m kind of concerned about, since I have little ones.”

Firefighters had to try several ways to get water to the scene, though the home is just a block north of the city limits.

A nearby hydrant was not functional, Moore said.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical Division Chief Rob Kort said more than a half-dozen surrounding townships shuttled water to the scene until firefighters were allowed to hook up to a hydrant in the city limits. It took firefighters almost three hours to bring the blaze under control.

Moore said crews never ran out of water and the issue of arranging water sources did not lead to further damage to the structure.

Wakarusa Township firefighters remained on the scene throughout Monday, extinguishing hot spots and aiding in the investigation.

In the afternoon, homeowner Chris Pettie returned to survey the damage. Pettie, who lived in the house with her son, said there likely was little that could be salvaged from the home she’s lived in for about three years.

“I stood on the sun porch with the fire guy,” she said. “He let me stand there, and I could see that everything was destroyed.”

Pettie and her son were not at home when the blaze erupted and they did not have any pets.

Pettie said firefighters had shown her the fire’s “point of origin” which was in her son’s basement bedroom, in the corner where his television and VCR were located.

The Douglas County chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting Pettie and her son with lodging and other needs.