Shawnee family escapes overnight house fire

A Shawnee family safely escaped an overnight house fire that heavily damaged their home on North Beard Street.
Shawnee firefighters responded about 2:38 a.m. Saturday to the house fire at 3333 N. Beard. When crews arrived, flames were already shooting from the roof of that home, said Battalion Chief Jim VanAntwerp.
The family was asleep, he said, when something, possibly the smoke detector, awakened the mother. She realized smoke was building in the home.
The mother, father and two children escaped the home without injury, VanAntwerp said.
Fire crews believe the fire started inside an exterior wall of the brick home. While VanAntwerp said he suspects it was possibly an electrical fire, the official cause of the blaze has been listed as undetermined.
He said the fire likely smoldered in the wall for some time before it moved to the attic, where it quickly flared, he said.
About half of the home sustained roof damage, along with smoke and water damage.
Crews remained on the scene until about 7:06 a.m. to watch for additional flare ups.