ShawneeDispatch.com

Twelve to 15 residents are without homes after a fire Saturday at the Fox Run Apartments in Shawnee.

Fire Chief Jeff Hudson said the fire department first received an alarm at 5:50 a.m. through the fire alarm system in the building at 7621 Goddard and then received several follow-up calls from residents. Shawnee police were the first on the scene and helped several residents evacuate the building.

When firefighters arrived, Hudson said the fire had already spread from its originating point, a first-floor apartment on the south side of the building, to two apartments on the second floor. A second alarm was sent, bringing help from Overland Park, Merriam, Johnson County Med-Act and the Johnson County Emergency Communications Center.

Hudson said it took more than an hour to get the fire under control and four more hours before firefighters had the fire out entirely. No residents or firefighters were injured, but firefighters are seeking the man who lived in the apartment where the fire originated. The man hasn't been seen since leaving work Friday, Hudson said, but the fire department is confident that no one was in the building.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and there isn't an estimate on the cost of the damage, Hudson said. The 10-unit building had heavy fire damage to at least half of the building and smoke and water damage to the rest of the building. The American Red Cross and United Way were on scene to aid the displaced residents.