A dozen fire trucks respond as employees evacuate River Park Place for electrical fire
Hundreds of River Park Place business employees poured onto the sidewalks at Murdock and Waco on Tuesday afternoon after an electrical fire prompted a large response from the Wichita Fire Department.
The small fire broke out in a mechanical room on the third floor of the building after an electrical component shorted out, Battalion Chief Pete Ridder said. He said because River Park Place has more than four floors, the call warranted a high-rise response, which includes a larger-than-average fire department presence. Roughly a dozen fire trucks responded to the office park as business employees evacuated after being alerted by the building’s fire alarms.
“I looked outside, (and I was) like ‘Oh my gosh, everybody’s here,’” River Park Place Property Manager Jonathan Bengtson said.
Stephanie Bryant and Stephanie Spaulding said they were working in their MedEvals of Kansas office when the fire alarms went off.
“We thought it was a fire drill,” Bryant said. “But we didn’t get a notification or anything, so then we went ahead and headed outside and there was actually something going on.”
Ridder said the fire was controlled quickly. Crews used CO2 extinguishers to subdue the blaze. While damage wasn’t extensive, Ridder said the lingering issue will be the smell left behind by the burning electrical components and the chemicals in the extinguishers.
Bengtson said he’s grateful no one was hurt and that the property didn’t sustain significant damage. He described the fire as more of a nuisance than a disaster.
“No fire, no big deal — just inconvenience.”
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM.
