Kansas Blaze Caused $23M-$25M in Damage

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Officials in a Kansas City suburb where a fire destroyed a multimillion-dollar apartment building under construction and spread to about two dozen homes estimate the blaze caused between $23 million and $25 million in damage.

The Kansas City Star (http://bit.ly/… ) reports that Overland Park, Kansas, based the estimate on exterior damage and property values, and that a more precise figure would emerge once insurance adjusters finish evaluating the fire's impact.

Fire officials say a welder accidentally ignited wooden building materials on Monday at the CityPlace development.

The blaze destroyed the four-story apartment building, heavily burned a second and rained burning debris onto a nearby neighborhood, damaging at least 22 other homes.

Overland Park says the damage at the CityPlace site accounted for $20 million of the overall estimate.

(KA)