The Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office is working with the Grandview Plaza Fire Department to evaluate the operation and maintenance of fire alarm systems at the Geary Estates apartment complex following a Sept. 19 fire that left 36 apartments uninhabitable, according to a media release from the State Fire Marshal's office.
The fire, which is preliminarily believed to have been caused by lightning, destroyed the building's roof and attic and is under investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
Residents and first responders reported that the building's commercial fire detection and alarm system did not activate during the fire. Some residents reported that battery-operated smoke alarms installed in their individual apartments did activate, but smoke detectors wired to the building alarm system did not trip the building fire alarm system.
A review of records from the fire alarm monitoring company found that at approximately 5:40 p.m., 11 fire alarm systems at the Geary Estates complex — including the system serving the fire building — transmitted trouble signals to the monitoring center. The first 911 call reporting the fire was received approximately 8 minutes later. First arriving police officers notified the 911 dispatcher that the fire alarm was not sounding despite pulling multiple fire alarm stations while evacuating residents from the building.
The fire alarm monitoring center did not receive an alarm signal from the building at any time that evening.
The simultaneous trouble signals occurred as a severe thunderstorm producing damaging winds and significant cloud-to-ground lightning moved through the area. The timing and number of trouble signals are consistent with a possible disruption of electrical power at the complex. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alarm system's operation remains ongoing.
Following the fire, the State Fire Marshal’s Office examined the building's fire alarm system and reviewed inspection, maintenance, and monitoring records provided by the fire alarm company.
Records show the system was last inspected by the fire alarm company in November 2025. During that inspection, a technician documented that both backup batteries serving the fire alarm system had failed and required replacement. Documents from the alarm company indicate that more than 50 other backup batteries on fire life safety systems throughout the complex also failed inspection in November 2025.
When the state fire inspector examined the system in the fire following, the batteries connected to the system were marked “11/25Fail” in black marker.
Backup batteries provide secondary power to a fire detection and alarm system when normal commercial electrical power is interrupted. The Kansas Fire Prevention Code requires the secondary power supply, including the batteries, to be inspected and tested at prescribed intervals.
The State Fire Marshal's Office also has found no documentation showing that the required semiannual inspection and testing of the system's secondary power supply and backup batteries had been completed after the November 2025 inspection.
“Fire alarm systems are life-safety systems, and backup power exists for exactly the kind of circumstance that can occur during a severe storm,” State Fire Marshal Mark Engholm said. “When an inspection identifies failed batteries, those deficiencies need to be corrected. Required testing and maintenance help ensure the system will continue protecting residents when normal electrical power is lost.”
“The reports that some residents' individual smoke alarms activated are an important reminder of the value of working smoke alarms,” Engholm said. “But individual smoke alarms are not a substitute for a required building fire alarm system. Every component of that system has to be maintained and ready to perform when it is needed.”
The Kansas State Fire Marshal's Office and Grandview Plaza Fire Department are working to determine whether the other fire alarm systems serving the Geary Estates complex are operating properly as they were designed and have received required inspection, testing, and maintenance.
The review remains ongoing. No determination has been made regarding enforcement action or penalties associated with the fire safety violations discovered at the complex.