The Liberal Fire Department responded to a residential fire Tuesday morning, February 16, 2016, at 1027 N Western Avenue. The initial call was at 2:14 a.m. reporting smoke inside of an apartment with a subject possibly inside. Firefighters and Liberal Police officers, upon arrival, initially encountered moderate to heavy smoke upon entry into the apartment. Fire crews quickly located and removed the occupant, Tekoa Callaway, from inside the apartment. Firefighters also located and extinguished a fire in the kitchen area. Callaway was transported to Southwest Medical Center by Seward County EMS in critical condition and later succumbed to his injuries sustained in the fire. Liberal Fire Department investigators contacted the Kansas State Fire Marshal s Office to conduct a joint investigation. Investigators remained on scene until 9:00 a.m. processing the scene. The cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental in nature due to unattended cooking.

Early estimates place the loss in this fire to be 30,000 dollars. The American Red Cross was contacted to assist occupants of other apartments within the complex.