Fire damages apartment building near Kansas Turnpike (VIDEO)

More than a dozen people are looking for somewhere else to live – at least in the short term – after a fire heavily damaged an apartment building near the Kansas Turnpike and Webb Road Friday morning, authorities said.

The fire was reported at 8:50 a.m. at Lincoln Meadows Apartments, 9000 E. Lincoln, a Sedgwick County emergency dispatcher said. Firefighters responding to the scene reported seeing smoke and flames up in the attic of a two-story building.

An investigation revealed the fire in Building 17 was caused by an electrical issue in the attic space, Lt. Joe Evans said. Damage was estimated at $300,000 to the structure and its contents.

Fire was limited to attic spaces, Evans said, but four apartments were extensively damaged due to water. Thirteen occupants were displaced due to the fire, he said.

The Red Cross was called out to assist five residents ousted by the fire.

It took fire crews about a half-hour to extinguish the blaze. The fire was declared out at 9:36 a.m., the dispatcher said.

A maintenance worker who went back into an apartment to check for pets suffered smoke inhalation, Evans said.

“He was having some issues – breathing issues,” Evans said.

But he declined medical treatment at the scene.

This story was originally published February 20, 2015 at 12:16 PM with the headline "Fire damages apartment building near Kansas Turnpike (VIDEO)."