House destroyed by fire this morning at 207 N. Olive in Wellington
Click to enlarge.
Sumner Newscow report — The Wellington Fire Department extinguished a structure fire at the Kenneth Claar residence at 207 N. Olive in Wellington at 1:43 a.m. this morning.
There were no injuries.
According to a WFD press release, local firefighters approached a house that had heavy smoke conditions with interior fire suppression. Wellington Fire Chief Tim Hay said that gasses had been escaping through the roof so there was no danger of an explosion. Soon after entering, the structure fire did break through the roof and most of the attic space was involved in the fire. 
Crews began a defensive effort from the exterior of the home. Most of the roof collapsed into the structure. Crews had to cut several holes in the side of the house to access the fire. The temperature during the incident was 10 degrees which made surfaces slick and affected the equipment.
The home is considered a total loss. There were no occupants in the home at the time of the fire. Hay said a passerby on either U.S. 160 or Olive St. saw the fire and reported it. The fire crews were there until 6:30 a.m. this morning.
Click to enlarge.
The estimated damage to the structure and contents is $30,000.
There was 20 personnel on the scene. Mutual aid included the Oxford Fire District 9, Mayfield, and Mulvane. The Wellington Police, Wellington Electric, and Kansas Gas departments assisted in the investigation.
WFD had one chief truck, three engines, one latter, two ambulances and two pickups.
This marks the second fire in Wellington this week. There was a fire on 1513 North H Street at 11:46 p.m. Monday evening (see story here).
“This is the season for house fires, unfortunately,” Hay said. “It gets cold and people find alternative ways to heat their house and that leads to fires.”
