Thursday morning 09/02/10 at 7:20 am Lee’s Summit Fire and Police personnel were dispatched to 713 SE Douglas Street on the report of an apartment fire on the top floor of the two story structure. The 9-1-1 call was made by the apartment manager who noticed smoke through the apartment window. Fire personnel had to force entry to the secured apartment and encountered heavy smoke from a smoldering fire contained to a piece of living room furniture. Upon searching the rest of the apartment the victim, believed to be the female resident who lived alone, was found deceased in a back bedroom.
After mitigating the fire and smoke hazard personnel relinquished control of the apartment to investigators with the police and fire department and State Fire Marshal. Investigators are currently working the case as an unattended death and at this point of the investigation no determinations have been made. The identity of the victim is being withheld at this time pending positive identification and notification of family members.