By Paul Thompson

Northeast News

November 30, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – A Northeast home destroyed by an early-morning fire on Tuesday, November 29, has now been targeted for emergency demolition.

The Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department responded to a fire near the intersection of St. John and Topping just after 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, at which time flames had already engulfed the residence and broken the windows of a neighboring house. While the Fire Department has not yet released a cause of the fire, Shockey Franciscus of the Neighborhoods and Community Services department noted on Wednesday, November 30 that the property had already been bid out for an emergency demolition.

Franciscus added that the property is expected to get torn down as soon as the city can get the gas and electric shut off at the residence. He estimated that the process should be completed within a week, at most.

“We send the demo instructions and all the particulars to the list of demo contractors. They drop off bids, and then the city takes the lowest and best bid,” said Franciscus. “The notice to proceed has been issued, so it’s just a matter of making sure that the utilities are all taken care of.”

The destroyed home had previously been targeted by East Patrol’s Major Joe McHale as one of his East-8 properties – a collection of eight troublesome properties in East Patrol that had been targeted for expedited demolition. When that list was created this summer, however, the home was not considered a dangerous building because it was still structurally sound and was not owned by the city. The severe damage done by Tuesday’s fire changed that determination.

“It did not qualify as a dangerous building at that time,” said Franciscus. “Now, it certainly does.”