RILEY COUNTY—Two people were rescued and hospitalized after an apartment fire in Manhattan.
At 6:13 a.m. on Tuesday, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to an apartment building fire at 509 Pierre Street in Manhattan, according to a media release. Upon arrival, crews found a two-story residential building with smoke and flames showing from the second floor, and two persons on the porch roof.
A passerby had put up a ladder, climbed onto the porch roof, and helped an occupant out of a second-floor window and onto the porch roof.
The driver of firetruck Quint 2 raised a fire department ladder, allowing the two to come down. Firefighters then entered the building to search for another occupant reported to be trapped inside.
Firefighters found the person unconscious on the second floor and quickly removed them from the building. Both occupants of the second-floor apartment were transported by Riley County EMS.
There were four occupants of the building in total, with two escaping the first-floor apartment fire prior to the fire department's arrival. The passerby was uninjured. One dog was transported by Riley County Animal Control to Kansas State Vet Med. Two dogs and a cat perished in the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation at this time. The Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office and Riley County Police Department are assisting Manhattan Fire Investigators with the investigation.