INDEPENDENCE, Kan. — One child and two adults remain hospitalized after a Sept. 11 house fire killed four children and their grandmother.
The tragedy has since shaken the town of Independence.
“There’s never been anything here of this size, or this magnitude,” Independence fire chief Aaron Cook told 2 News on Sept. 20.
“I know our guys are hurting. This was a major ordeal," fire captain Jonathan Johnson said.
Both officials said the fire was the deadliest fire in Montgomery County in recent history.
The state fire marshal is still investigating a cause.
Chief Cook said the fire department was called just after 6 a.m. on the 11.
No working smoke detectors were reportedly found inside the home.
“The fire was actually very small upon arrival, but (there were) heavy smoke conditions inside with zero visibility," the chief said, adding that such conditions are difficult to survive in, especially when someone is still asleep.
A GoFundMe started by a relative lists the victims as Johanna, Bane, Case, Renesema, and Alayhla Landsaw-Davis.
Two of the children were confirmed to be students at Independence Public Schools.
A makeshift memorial at the house's fence has since collected flowers, personal notes, and devotionals from people young and old from multiple states.
“People are just genuinely invested. They want to know how these people are doing because it’s a town of 8,500," Cook said. "This affected everybody in all capacities."
“Love your babies," Capt. Johnson said. "Something like this changes everybody’s lives. It’s changed my guys’ lives, it’s changes the other shifts’ lives, it’s just- you don’t get over something like this."
Independence Fire Department is accepting donations for the fire victims and their caretakers. Chief Cook said the fire station plans to host a smoke detector donation drive on October 17.
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