Andover home catches fire after lightning strike

Andover Deputy Fire Chief Mike Roosevelt says a home in the 300 block of Lexington Street near Kellogg and Andover Road caught fire Tuesday evening after a lightning strike. He says the Rose Hill Fire Department also responded, and crews got the fire out within just a matter of minutes. Roosevelt says there are no injuries and that this is a good reminder to keep safety top of mind as we head into storm season. "This is also a good opportunity to remind you to make sure that you have working smoke detectors in your home. Because oftentimes lightning strikes can go undetected for a period of time, and working smoke detectors on all levels of your home could give you that extra few moments to aid in your successful escape from a dwelling if it should be on fire after a lightning strike," said Roosevelt.
KAKE-TV ABC 10 Wichita

Police arrest Topeka man for allegedly starting garage fire

Topeka police say a man is under arrest after he reportedly started a garage fire Monday. The Topeka Fire Department (TFD) announced in a press release that fire crews were called to a detached garage fire on April 29 in the 1400 block of SW Eden Court. TFD crews arriving at the scene found smoke coming from the garage and put it out quickly. Rosie Nichols, a spokeswoman for the City of Topeka, says an investigation into the cause of the fire found evidence it was intentionally set. Officers with the Topeka Police Department found and arrested a 46-year-old Topeka man near the scene of the fire on one charge of arson. The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to the garage. No working smoke detectors were located inside the building.
KSNT-TV NBC 27 Topeka

Man killed in fiery wrong-way crash on I-335 in Shawnee County

A 72-year-old man driving the wrong way on the Kansas Turnpike overnight was killed when his car crashed into an oncoming semi. The incident happened at around 1 a.m. Monday on I-335 just southwest of Auburn in Shawnee County. That's southwest of Topeka. The Kansas Highway Patrol crash log states Michael Goering was northbound in the southbound lanes. A southbound Freightliner was unable to avoid Goering's Mercedes, and the two vehicles collided and caught fire. Goering, of Topeka, died at the scene. The two people in the semi complained of pain, but the crash log doesn't state whether they were taken to a hospital. Right after the crash, another vehicle, also a Mercedes, tried to avoid the tractor-trailer, but rain into the back of the tractor unit.
KAKE-TV ABC 10 Wichita

Region: Fallen Kansas City firefighters to receive national honor during ceremony in Maryland

A firefighter and paramedic from Kansas City, Kansas, and a Kansas City, Mo. Fire Captain will receive national honors in May. Jason Garrett, 46, died after working a 24-hour overtime shift on Christmas Eve in 2017. He then worked his regular shift on Christmas Day. During that time, he responded to 11 calls. Other firefighters found his body in the station’s bunkroom when he did not appear for a morning response call. It was later determined he died of cardiac arrhythmia and cardiomegaly. Captain Raymond M. Wynn, 62, worked for the Kansas City, Mo., Fire Department for 32 years. He died on March 27, 2021, after doctors diagnosed him with three separate primary tumors on his tongue, neck, and lung. Ultimately he lost his decade-long battle with cancer. Wynn and Garrett will be honored during the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland, near the Pennsylvania state line.
KCTV CBS 5 Kansas City