A fire at 1418 20th St. did extensive damage to the house, Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said.
Firefighters were dispatched at 2:42 a.m. Friday, for a possible window air conditioner on fire. They arrived to find smoke coming from the attic.
Inspector Luke McCormick from the GBFD said police also arrived at the house and said the door was hot to touch. Firefighters forced open the front door and found fire in the center of the building.
“No one was at home at the time of the fire,” Napolitano said. “However, there were some pets inside that succumbed to smoke. The fire started in the area of the floor furnace and extended up through a closet and into the attic area. Fire and smoke damage was extensive.”
The fire department was assisted the by the Great Bend Police Department, power company and the gas company.
McCormick and an official from the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office attempted to determine the cause of the fire. After their investigation was completed Friday afternoon, McCormick told the Great Bend Tribune, “The exact cause was undetermined, but it started in the general area of the floor furnace.”
He estimated the damage at more than $40,000.