Woman, children unhurt in Wichita house fire

A mother and four children escaped without injury when their vehicles and home near 31st and Broadway caught fire Monday evening.

Flames from the home quickly engulfed a black vehicle sitting in the driveway of the home, then spread to a garage and another car, plus a boat sitting nearby. The house also sustained significant fire and smoke damage. The woman, three girls and a boy were inside the house when the fire ignited but ducked out a back door and ran to a neighbor’s home seeking help.

Black smoke billowing overhead could be seen as far away as downtown. At one point, loud pops and bursts of flames had authorities telling spectators to move back for their safety.

Wichita fire Capt. Brent Holman said fire crews had the blaze under control “pretty quickly” after arriving shortly after 7 p.m. Neighbors had called 911 emergency services.

“Everybody got out safe, and we were able to go in and get a cat for them,” Holman said. “It turned out pretty good as far as nobody getting hurt.”

Holman said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. But, he said, it appears to have started on the exterior of the home and spread inside.

A damage estimate wasn’t immediately available Monday evening, but the vehicles and boat were not salvageable, and the garage was leveled.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Woman, children unhurt in Wichita house fire."