KEARNEY — Residents were forced to jump from the roof to evacuate during a structure fire during the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 29.
At 12:30 a.m., the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to 520 W. 25th St. for the report of a structure fire with people trapped on the roof.
Upon arrival at the scene, KVFD established command and confirmed that all of the occupants were out of the structure and were no longer on the roof. It was reported the occupants had jumped from the roof and they were evaluated for minor injuries.
KVFD crews conducted fire suppression and primary search operations, and no additional occupants were located. The fire was brought under control after 45 minutes, but it had damaged the adjacent structure located at 512 W. 25th St.
The Nebraska State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, but initial results indicate the fire was likely started by improper disposal of smoking materials.
Other agencies assisting were the Kearney Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, CHI Good Samaritan EMS, NorthWestern Energy and the Nebraska Public Power District.
