At 5:34 p.m. on Saturday night, the Manhattan Fire Department was dispatched to 2025 Tecumseh Road for a report of a structure fire. Upon arrival, crews found a single-story house that had fire coming out of the front and rear of the building. The Fire Department reported that they made an aggressive attack on the fire, completed a search, and controlled the fire within 20 minutes.
One occupant, who was outside of the structure upon fire department arrival, was transported by Riley County EMS to Via Christi for smoke inhalation. One firefighter was injured on the scene and was transported to Via Christi by Riley County EMS and was treated and released. A total of 15 firefighters responded on 6 fire trucks.
The house is a one-story house that had five occupants. Loss is estimated at $80,000 to contents and $115,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Randy Staulbaumer of Seneca, KS. The house located at 2031 Tecumseh suffered exterior fire damage estimated at $2500. The fire cause is under investigation at this time.
While on scene at the Tecumseh Road fire, crews responded to 1327 Houston Street, Apt. 2, for a report of a structure fire. Crews found a small fire in a basement stairwell and extinguished it. Damage to the structure was estimated at $500. No injuries were reported. The fire cause was improperly disposed of smoking materials.