Fire At Sunflower Intermediate School

The Liberal Fire Department responded to a structure fire Wednesday morning, August 17, 2011, at 310 W Pine Street. The fire was reported at 7:00 a.m.

Initial reports indicated that the fire was located in one of the school rooms of Sunflower Intermediate School. First arriving units reported smoke showing from inside the building and down one of the hallways. The fire was quickly extinguished; however, there was extensive smoke in the hallway and adjacent classrooms. There were three minor injuries involving smoke inhalation by employees. The damage to the building was confined to a single room, but there are smoke related issues to the immediate area. USD 480 officials immediately responded and canceled school for all Sunflower Intermediate School students. Firefighters remained on scene until 8:30 a.m. removing debris/smoke from the building and conducting an on-scene investigation. The cause of the fire was determined to be combustible materials stored too close to a heat source. The Liberal Fire Department responded to the incident with 18 firefighters, two engines, one aerial platform truck, and two light support vehicles. The Liberal Police Department and Seward County EMS responded to the incident as well.