Liberal Firefighters Battle Residential Fire

At 9:13 pm Saturday, Liberal firefighters were dispatched to 905 W. 2^nd St. for a reported structure fire.  Prior to arrival of fire units, Liberal Police officer’s on-scene reported heavy smoke from the roof of the residence.  All occupants of the residence were reported to be accounted for thanks in large part to working smoke detectors in the home.  Firefighters making entry encountered fire in a utility room and through the roof in the rear of the home.  The fire was quickly knocked down and additional search of the residence for occupants& pets was conducted.  The fire was declared under control at 9:47 pm, however firefighters spent a considerable amount of time opening void spaces to locate and extinguish hot spots in the attic area.

The fire appears to have started in the area of the water heater and rapidly extended into the attic space before venting through the roof.  The home suffered extensive fire damage in the utility room and attic, as well as heavy smoke damaged to all levels.  No injuries to occupants or firefighting personnel were reported.  The fire department responded with a total of 16 personnel, two engines and a medical/rescue unit.  Also assisting at the scene was the Liberal Police, Water & Building Departments, American Red Cross, Southern Pioneer Electric & Black Hills Energy.  All units were fully returned to service at 11:49 pm.

While operating at this fire, firefighters also dealt a vehicle fire resulting from a passenger car that overheated on-scene and an injury accident at the corner of Pine St. & Western Ave.