HUTCHINSON, Kan. — An early Saturday morning fire at a southeast Hutchinson residence killed two people and sent two others to the hospital. According to a statement from Hutchinson Fire Division Chief of Operations Jeremy Unruh and Hutchinson Police Captain Dayton Gates, emergency personnel were called at 3:22 a.m. to the 1000 Block of East 3rd on the report of a structure fire with people possibly trapped.
When police arrived one juvenile was found standing in front of the residence, that person was taken under the care of EMS. Fire crews, who initially found smoke on arrival, launched an aggressive interior fire attack and search operations, during which they immediately encountered a hole in the first floor.
After navigating to an interior stairwell, entry was made to the basement where three victims and the fire were found The crews had to work diligently to get those three out due to the stairwell being compromised by fire which was brought under control shortly thereafter.
One adult and one juvenile victim were pronounced dead at the scene. Another adult and one juvenile were taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office is assisting Hutchinson Fire and Police in the investigation as to the cause of the fire, with investigators expected to be on scene for an extended period of time. Anyone who has information regarding the fire is asked to contact Reno County Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS or Hutchinson Police at 620-694-2816, and reference HPD case 2025-4633.