Family remembers man who died in Kansas City house fire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The family of a man killed in a house fire Tuesday morning said he “never knew a stranger, they were just a friend he hadn’t met yet.”

A spokesman for the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department said firefighters rescued a woman from a burning home at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday near 80th Street and South Benton Avenue. A man died in the fire. The department has not identified the man.

People gathered outside the home who told 41 Action News they were family identified the deceased as Dean Masters, 75.

Family and friends of his said Masters volunteered delivering items for a local food pantry, was involved in his church and was on the board of AngelEyes Maternity Group Home.

Assistant fire Chief Jimmy Walker said Masters and the woman were the only two people in the house at the time of the fire.

EMTs took the woman to a hospital. Walker said she suffered from serious smoke inhalation, but was stable.

“It looks like the fire originated in the backside of the house. Like I said, we had heavy fire throughout the entire structure upon our arrival. Crews did a great job getting in there aggressively and fighting the fire aggressively and searching. So If this woman survives, it’s because they did such a good job,” Walker said

He added the man was dead by the time firefighters arrived.

The fire caused extensive damage to the home.

Walker said whenever someone dies in a fire, the police department’s bomb and arson team assist the fire department in determining the cause of the fire. The investigation is ongoing.