Home south of Lawrence severely damaged in blaze; no injuries reported

Nobody was injured in an early-morning fire that severely damaged a rural Douglas County home.

Capt. Michael Grob with the Wakarusa Fire Department said that the family of three, along with their pets, made it out of the residence unharmed on Sunday morning.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the fire at 1:52 a.m. Crews from multiple fire departments, including Wakarusa, Willow Springs, Lecompton, Eudora, Lawrence and others, battled the flames at 1152 E. 1300 Road.

“The crews got in there pretty quick,” Grob said. “It took a lot of crews and multiple agencies. They worked well together and did a good job.”

Grob said the family declined housing assistance from emergency officials.

By 2 a.m., the fire had spread to the roof of the house. Flames and plumes of smoke were seen shooting out front windows of the large two-story home, which is located about 1 1/2 miles south of 31st Street on U.S. Highway 59.

The heaviest flames were located on the second floor of the building, which Grob said was “pretty heavily damaged.” The first floor wasn’t damaged by the fire, he said.

The roof fire appeared to be extinguished by about 2:20 a.m., but fire crews continued to battle flames, heat and smoke until well after 4 a.m.

Grob said the family was able to get many valuables out of the house. The family met with an insurance agent Sunday morning, but a damage estimate was not available. It could take the state fire marshal up to a month to identify the cause of the fire, according to Grob.