Mo. firefighters rescue 5 trapped in apartment fire

Kansas City firefighters rescued five people from a third-floor apartment via ground ladders after heavy fire cut off the stairwell inside the building

December 30, 2025 02:28 PM

By Caroline Zimmerman
The Kansas City Star

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Five people were rescued from an apartment fire in Kansas City’s historic 18th & Vine District Monday evening. Fourteen residents were displaced.

Firefighters with the Kansas City Fire Department were dispatched to the 1700 block of Kansas Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Monday, according to department spokesperson Riley Nolan.

Heavy fire on the second and third floors of the apartment left five people trapped in the building, Riley said. A second alarm response was ordered and crews used multiple hand lines to extinguish the fire at 7:46 p.m.

All five people were rescued from the third floor of the building, Nolan said.

Two people were transported to area hospitals in stable condition, Nolan said. The Kansas City Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire.

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