RILEY COUNTY— It was a busy night for fire crews in Manhattan. At 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, crews were dispatched to 2300 Blueberry Drive for a report of a structure fire, according to Deputy Chief Ryan Almes.
Upon arrival, crews found a single-story home with smoke showing from the attic. Crews entered the building and began extinguishing the attic fire. While on the scene, crews were alerted by the homeowner that smoke was coming from the house next door.
The house at 2304 Blueberry Drive had a fire in the attic as well. The fires reached a combined second alarm and were both contained within 45 minutes. Riley County Fire Department provided an air trailer to the scene and personnel to fill air bottles, and also backfilled one of the stations in the City in case there were other calls for service.
The house at 2300 Blueberry Drive was occupied at the time of the fire. Loss is estimated at $15,000 to contents and $50,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Taylor and Shane Sutherland.
The house located at 2304 Blueberry Drive was unoccupied at the time of the fire. The loss is estimated at $5,000 to contents and $20,000 to the structure. The owner is listed as Devon Bedell and Kevin White.
The cause of both fires was due to storm damage to the electrical service supplying both homes.
In addition to these two house fires, the Manhattan Fire Department responded to 29 storm-related calls for service.