KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Overland Park and Leawood firefighters knocked down a fire Tuesday night at The Louis Overland Park Apartments. Five adults and three pets were displaced.
Crews were sent at about 7 p.m. to the complex at 13900 Newton St.
A news release from the Overland Park Fire Department stated firefighters found smoke and fire coming from a second-floor balcony of the three-story building.
People were already coming out of the building as the first firefighters arrived.
The fire outside the building was quickly brought under control as other crews went inside the building to search for occupants, per OPFD.
A second alarm was sounded to bring more firefighters to the scene because of the outside heat.
The fire damage was contained to the outside of the building.
Firefighters rescued two dogs and one cat from the building where the fire is believed to have started. The residents of that apartment were thought not to be home at the time of the fire, per the release.
No injuries were reported.
OPFD said the cause of the fire was likely the "careless discard of smoking material."
"After speaking with residents, investigators believe a resident on the second floor discarded smoking material into a flower pot several hours before the fire, which likely ignited flammable material in the flower pot," OPFD said in an update Wednesday.
The flower pot fire spread to the building, which is when a neighbor noticed and called 911.
The fire department said improperly discarded cigarettes can smolder for hours before igniting flammable materials. As a result, OPFD suggests smokers extinguish materials in sand or water before discarding.
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