One look at Nina Scaife, and you might not think of her as lucky.
"The flames were coming from beneath the catwalk and going up," she said. "I didn't see anything and then there it was, just that quick."
A neighbor's apartment fire means she won't be able to sleep in her own bed for a while. But even while temporarily homeless, she's counting her blessings.
Firefighters believe a resident used scrap plywood in their fireplace.
"Their smoke alarms weren't alerting them," said Jason Rhodes with the Overland Park Fire Dept. "They reported that they burned scrap lumber and treated wood in that fireplace. That's a problem also. That creates a lot of heat. Those factors combined with likely some crack or damage in the chimney allowed that fire to escape and get into those walls."
Which is why firefighters say these residents are so lucky -- because many stories like this one don't end with everyone walking out unscathed.
"I could have been trapped up there," Scaife said. "I normally am asleep at that time so it's a good thing I wasn't sleeping and breathing in that smoke. I may not have made it out of there. So I am very grateful."
Fire Safety Tips:
- Hire an expert to check out your chimney each year before you use it
- Don't burn anything - including paper or wood - that is not fire wood designated for burning in an indoor fireplace.
- Make sure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Those will save your life.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.