Roof of Overland Park home caught fire because of illegal fireworks

A home in Overland Park caught on fire because of a firework Monday night, but no injuries were reported and only the roof suffered damage, according to authorities.

The Overland Park Fire Department received notice of the fire in the 9300 block of West 106th Street about 8:45 p.m., according to Jason Rhodes, a spokesman for the department.

He said the fireworks ignited the shake shingle roof, but firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly.

Rhodes said the residents of the home did not set off the firework that hit the house. If they were able to find who set off the firework, the residents could press charges and those responsible would potentially be liable for the damages. But Rhodes said they were not able to identify anyone.

Many people were outside on the streets of the neighborhood, probably preparing to watch the Overland Park Star Spangled Spectacular fireworks show across the highway at Corporate Woods Founders’ Park, Rhodes said.

He said the fire could have been much worse, but thankfully it was caught early. Shooting off fireworks is illegal in Overland Park, and he said people should leave it to the professionals and watch the official shows.

“Burning down someone’s house because you’re shooting off bottle rockets is really not worth it,” Rhodes said.

This was the only structure fire related to fireworks that the Overland Park Fire Department responded to over the holiday weekend, Rhodes said.