INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A tragic incident occurred Wednesday morning when a fire consumed an apartment complex in a suburb of Kansas City, resulting in the deaths of two adults and two children aged 3 and 8. The blaze broke out around 6 a.m. at the Indy Ridge Apartments in Independence, according to local officials. The victims were located after firefighters successfully extinguished the flames, as confirmed by Independence Fire Chief Jimmy Walker during a press briefing.
“It is a sad day for the community,” Walker expressed, emphasizing the need for solidarity in the aftermath of the tragedy. “We will pull together.”
The fire damaged approximately two dozen apartment units, with fire crews on-site for about four hours to combat the flames amidst challenging weather conditions, including gusty winds reaching up to 24 mph and frigid temperatures in the 20s.
While Chief Walker refrained from disclosing the names of the victims, stating that family members were still being informed, he reported that around 32 residents have been displaced and two firefighters sustained burns during their efforts to control the fire. To assist those impacted, the Red Cross has established an emergency shelter.
Witness Carissa Schulke recounted her terrifying experience, indicating she was startled awake by the sound of popping noises followed by distant sirens. “All of a sudden, they didn’t even knock on my door, they just busted in, ‘Hey you need to get out, you need to get out,’” Schulke recounted as she stood outside with her dog, both shivering in the cold, while firefighters fought the raging fire.
