Two KCK firefighters injured after walls collapse

KANSAS CITY, Kansas - Shortly after 11 p.m. Monday night,  fire crews were called to a structure fire on South Minnie Street off of Southwest Blvd. 

When equipment arrived, flames were shooting into the air.  Crews were forced to fight the fire from the exterior. 

As firefighters placed ladders on the side of the house to reach the second story around midnight, the roof and walls collapsed sending flames even higher, some of them reached 50 feet into the air. 

Two firefighters who were on the ladders were rushed to a local area hospital where doctors evaluated them for minor injuries.

"I heard a boom and looked out my back window," said neighbor Karen Howard. "Another neighbor up the street actually saw the fire first then was actually on the phone with 911 when he heard the boom."

The fire destroyed the home.  At least two neighboring homes were damaged. "Before the fire department got here, the flames were floating over, " said Howard. "I got an old house too and one side of the roof on mine is not that peachy. So I was like, 'hurry up, guys!'"

Crews say they didn't find any sign of someone inside the home but saw the  homeowner's truck parked in front. Officials have since contacted the homeowner who was not home at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.