KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A fire overnight in Kansas City, Missouri, that injured 15 people, including nine children, is now part of a criminal investigation.
A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed investigators determined the fire had been intentionally set.
Fire crews were called to an apartment building near E. 42nd Street and Pittman Road around 12:30 a.m. Friday on the fire.
Firefighters said some residents had to jump to safety as a portion of the fire had already moved to the hallways and stairwells of the apartment building. Firefighters also used ladders to rescue others from the building.
Hanna Maroof, mother of a one-year-old baby girl, said she is constantly reliving the horrific moments of the evacuation, seeing the terror replay every time she closes her eyes.
Her husband jumped off their second-floor balcony first and caught their baby Minal who was thrown down to him.
"He grabs her and he’s like, 'I am gonna jump with her.' But then of course we’re all like, 'It's so high. You both will end up getting hurt.' So he jumps and [my brother] threw her down to him," she said.
Maroof recalled having trouble breathing and seeing among the smoke. Her husband sustained a foot injury from jumping off the balcony, and her mother-in-law suffered an asthma attack.
While she said Minal is okay, the baby has been easily upset, which Maroof attributes to being traumatized by the experience.
The family has now been displaced to a nearby hotel, paid for by the American Red Cross.
"We have no clothes, we have nothing. Everything is in there. We don't know if it's burned, it's safe… They’re not letting us go inside, so we don't know," Maroof said. "We don't know what’s gonna happen next or where we’re gonna go because this was our home."
John Ham with ATF said the incident could have been even more severe. Thursday night's heavy winds could have spread the flames to nearby buildings.
"If you go back and look at the weather data from last night, at 12:34 the wind was howling. The fire suppression that the Kansas City Fire Department put down saved that structure to some extent," Ham said.
Assistant Fire Marshal Tom Kievlan said more investigation will go into determining if there were working smoke alarms in place at the time of the incident.
"They will check to see if the detectors are actually working, and make sure if there is a battery in them or not. And if need be, we will take the appropriate action on the property management," Kievlan said.
Of the nine children injured, two were initially described as having critical injuries. Others were being treated for smoke inhalation.
ATF and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department are offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to identification of the person(s) responsible for setting fire to the building. To report a tip, call 888-ATF-FIRE or 816-474-TIPS.
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For jurisdictions that utilize the Greater Kansas City Crime Stoppers Tips Hotline, anonymous tips can be made by calling 816-474-TIPS (8477), submitting the tip online or through the free mobile app at P3Tips.com.
Annual homicide details and data for the Kansas City area are available through the KSHB 41 News Homicide Tracker, which was launched in 2015. Read the KSHB 41 News Mug Shot Policy.
