A chronic nuisance house at 3014 E. 6th street is finally being demolished today after a long history of fires, squatters and street level criminal activity.

“This has been a long time coming”, said neighbor Halee Stimson who lives next door with her husband and children. ” Weve lived here for five years and its been a problem ever since we moved in.”

Fire crews have responded to the abandoned home on numerous occasions, often multiple times in one week. In March of 2020, one man died inside the structure after setting a fire on the second floor.

In December 2021, fire crews responded on two consecutive nights to squatter-set fires in what was left of the structure.

A February, 2022 fire was the final straw, landing the home on the city’s demolition list for the fourth and final time. Codes violations for the property date back to 2002. According to city records, the house is owned by Paul Reineke of Olathe, KS.

According to court records, Reineke is also the defendant in a number of civil actions filed by adjacent neighbors and the Independence Plaza Neighborhood Council due to the house’s ongoing danger to neighbors and the crime it brings to the surrounding neighborhood.

” It is a shame this house had to get to this point,” said Megan Morgan, one of the neighbors bringing suit against Reineke. “We as neighbors will continue to make sure that this absent owner is held responsible for for this. I appreciate the neighbors who have put up with this home over the years with multiple fires that have damaged both homes on either side of it.”

The next court date is set for November 10th on those civil cases.