LOUISBURG, Kan. — Two people have been found dead inside a home which burned Monday morning in Bucyrus, Kan., a rural town just north of Louisburg.
According to the Miami County Sheriff’s Department, the home is in the 3800 block of W. 239th Street, and the fire started at about 8 a.m. When fire crews arrived, they said the two story house and a barn were fully engulfed in flames. Smoke could still be seen from down the road.
“I looked down there and seen the smoke and stuff and we called 911 and then I put my boots on, jumped in the truck and went down there,” said neighbor Jim Gast.
After seeing the towering flames and thick smoke, Gast says he and another neighbor dashed down the road. They were worried about their neighbors; a husband and wife they say have lived here for at least 10 years.
“We went around and kicked in the back door and hollered and i mean the smoke was so bad we couldn’t get in and couldn’t hear nothing,” said Gast.
Firefighters from Louisburg, Paola and the Johnson County Fire District Two battled the stubborn fire for two hours, while also attempting to contact the homeowners, before bringing the flames under control.
Crews searched through the charred piles of rubble outside, but shortly before 1:45 p.m., investigators say they found the body of the first victim inside the fire-ravaged house. A few hours later, around 5:30 p.m., crews recovered a second body in the debris.
One investigator said there was a car parked in the driveway of the home, which led them to think the homeowners could have been inside. Investigators have yet to release the identities of the two victims.
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