Kansas City fire investigators are still trying to determine what caused a fire in a commercial building May 25 where three children were found in a concealed second story apartment, as police investigate how the children wound up there alone.
As firefighters put out the blaze across two buildings at 2300 Truman Road, they discovered multiple doors that looked unusual. They started knocking on doors and three children, 9, 4 and 2-years-old, were found.
The children received treatment at Children’s Mercy hospital for smoke inhalation and carbon monoxide exposure. They have since been released from the hospital and are expected to make a full recovery, said Officer Alayna Gonzalez, a spokeswoman with Kansas City Police.
The KCPD Bomb and Arson unit has taken over the fire investigation as police continue to look into the circ*mstances surrounding the children’s discovery.
Detectives opened a child endangerment case and have been in contact with the children’s mother, Gonzalez told The Star. Nearly a week after the fire, police were still trying to determine what the children were doing in the apartment and why they were left alone.
“This case is extremely complex and has several different elements being looked into as part of the investigation, to include any potential suspects,” Gonzalez said.
No suspects almost a week later
Officers were on the scene blocking traffic as fire crews worked to extinguish the fire last week. A suspect was detained at the scene, police records show, but they were released Saturday pending further investigation.
Police did not say whether the mother of the children was the person detained. There were no suspects in the child endangerment or fire investigations as of Thursday. Gonzales said the KCPD Bomb and Arson unit typically assists with fire investigations when there is a death or when there could be a criminal element involved as the investigation unfolds.
“Ultimately, the fire investigators make the determination if they would like assistance from KCPD as each incident is unique,” Gonzalez said.
There was no immediate indication of arson, but the children being found unattended in a concealed apartment prompted KCPD’s involvement, said Michael Hopkins, a Kansas City Fire Department spokesman.
“We knew it was going down that path of tracking down a responsible party, and that’s way out of our scope, so we just went ahead and got (KCPD) involved,” Hopkins said.
KCPD detectives said in an incident report they are working with prosecutors and Family Services to present a case file with evidence. Prosecutors will later decide on any applicable charges.
Two building fires in one month
Last Saturday’s fire happened in a building that shares a roof line with two other commercial properties. The three units are attached to one another with shared walls.
The fire started in the middle unit, then spread to the unit on the corner of Truman Road and Park Avenue, where the three children were found.
Kortnee Fielder owns the unit at 2308 Truman Road. Her building, on the east end, was unscathed by the fire last week. But two weeks earlier, on Mother’s Day, her building also went up in flames.
There are no suspects in that fire, either.
Fielder said the commercially-zoned neighborhoods surrounding Truman Road and Park Avenue have had other fires before. People experiencing homelessness are known to occupy buildings which appear vacant or abandoned, she said.
“We believe a homeless gentleman did it,” Fielder said about the fire that scorched her building on Mother’s Day. “That’s not even the first fire we’ve had in that area. There have been quite a few fires from, we think, homeless people setting fires for various reasons.”
Two days after she called police about someone being there without permission, Fielder’s building was set ablaze.
“My property is the one they keep showing on the news, but my fire is not associated with this incident last Saturday,” Fielder said.
Some of the buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood are well-kept with businesses operating out of them, while others have been left vacant and are deteriorating.
One block west of Fielder’s unit sits a U.S. Post Office location, and a couple more streets down is the Urban Youth Academy. The Academy’s well-maintained baseball fields, tennis courts and a football field contrast the largely commercial area south of I-70.
The unit on the corner of Truman and Park Avenue, where firefighters found the three children, has hosted church services and other gatherings on Saturday mornings, Fielder said. Cars typically line the block and fill the back lot behind the building.
A sign posted on the building reads “Templo De Alabanza,” or “Temple of Praise” in English, with service times and the name of the church Facebook page, Templo de Alabanza Kc Mo.
Fielder has also seen a young girl with a book bag come in and out of a side door on the Park Avenue side of the building. She suspected there may have been people living there. Still, she didn’t expect what happened last Saturday.
“I was quite surprised to hear about the kids that were found,” Fielder said.
Cerise Hall owns the central unit where the fire began. Hall is a minority subcontractor for educational support who works at that location each week. Hall said a lack of city surveillance cameras has presented challenges for area property owners. Truman Road is a main fairway in one of Kansas City’s improvement districts.
“I’m doing all I can do to secure my building,” Hall said.
On Thursday, Hall told The Star she’s still waiting to hear back from investigators on what they believe caused the fire. Hall said she is unsure of what the business next to her on the corner does. All she knows is that a man associated with the building next to her once introduced himself as Pastor Erick, and told her that he pastors a church.
The Star has reached out to the owner of the building where the children were found and is awaiting a response. No other information about the investigation into the fire, or circ*mstances that led to the children being discovered was available Friday.
What will happen to the children?
A KCPD incident report said Family Services will determine placement for the children after receiving medical treatment.
Information about specific child abuse and neglect investigations is closed and confidential under Missouri law, except under limited circ*mstances. The Star reached out to the Missouri Department of Social Services, which could not comment on this specific case, but said the goal of the child welfare system is to protect children and help them safely stay at home.
“When a court decides a child can no longer stay at their home, the Children’s Division and court system will work together with the family to try to help the child safely return,” said Chelsea Blair, a spokeswoman with the Missouri Department of Social Services.
“By working together, most children are able to eventually return home to their parents, grandparents or another relative,” she said.
A court ultimately decides if a child should enter foster care, also called “Out of Home Care.” Depending on a child’s needs, they could be placed with a relative, a licensed foster parent or at a licensed residential facility.
