Huge explosion, fire near Country Club Plaza in K.C.; critical injuries reported

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —Firefighters were called to the scene of a huge fire at a building just west of the Country Club Plaza.

A gas explosion and fire rocked J.J.'s Restaurant just west of the Country Club Plaza Tuesday evening.

A gas explosion started the fire just before 6 p.m. at J.J.'s Restaurant near 48th Street and Belleview Avenue. People in the area said they smelled gas and heard the explosion.

James Armer said he was about a mile and a half away and heard the explosion and saw debris flying about 100 feet into the air.

Firefighters said were there preliminary reports of injuries in the fire. KMBC 9's Johnny Rowlands said he saw 15 ambulances at the scene. St. Luke's Hospital said patients with critical injuries have been brought to the facility and it was calling in extra staff members.
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The Associated Press ‏@AP
BREAKING: Police: 7 or 8 people injured in Kansas City gas explosion fire, 3 people unaccounted for

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Kansas City Star ‏@KCStar
Office workers in the Plaza explosion area reported smelling gas at 1 p.m. today. #plazafire

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41 Action News ‏@41ActionNews
UPDATE: At least 14 people injured, 7 seriously in #PlazaFire

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CNN News (RSS feed) ‏@cnnbreak
Kansas City gas explosion injures 18: At least 18 people were injured when a gas line in Kansas City, Missouri

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Kansas City Star ‏@KCStar
Firefighters are checking door to door and going inside basements to check gas levels 6 blocks west of the Plaza. #plazafire

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KU Hospital News ‏@KUHospitalNews
Official update: @KUHospital preparing to admit 3 patients with suspected burns- 1 from Truman & 2 from St. Luke's #plazafire

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41 Action News ‏@41ActionNews
KCFD: Cadaver dogs requested to scene of #PlazaFire. As soon as JJ's cools, they'll be going through it.

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FOX 4 News ‏@fox4kc
MGE: Early indications are that a contractor doing underground work struck a natural gas line #plazafire

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He met his friends inside and had a glass of wine. About 5:20 p.m., Whisler said, Kansas City firefighters entered the restaurant and told the owners to turn off their ovens and grills and open the doors to the outside. They did as they were told, Whisler said, with employees “covering their faces because of the odor.”

“I said to the lead fire guy, ‘Shouldn’t we evacuate here?’ ” Whisler said. “They told me no, that they had called the gas company.”
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As Brockman left the building, she saw workers who had been drilling in the street near the alley just steps from of JJ’s entrance.

“I said, ‘You hit a gas line, didn’t you?’” she recalled. “They said, ‘Yeah, we did.’”
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Rothstein said that after Brockman alerted him, he also went to the parking garage, smelled gas and spoke to a worker.

“He said, ‘We had a break in the gas line,’ ” Rothstein said. “I asked, ‘Have you capped it?’ He said no. I said, ‘Are we safe?’ He said, ‘Yes, we’re safe.’ ”

Rothstein said he returned to his third-floor office. Shortly after that he heard and felt a tremendous explosion.
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The Associated Press ‏@AP
BREAKING: Kansas City mayor says crews have found body in rubble of exploded Kansas City, Mo., restaurant.

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The employee who was unaccounted for started at the restaurant about a year ago, a co-worker said.

“She has a great sense of humor,” said Josh Lehne, a bar manager who wasn’t working Tuesday night. “Everybody loves her. Nobody can say anything bad about her.”

Lehne said he and others from JJ’s had been monitoring the search for the woman and also were checking on the conditions of employees who suffered critical injuries in the explosion. A sous chef is reportedly in critical condition with burns on his hands and arms, Lehne said
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