NEOSHO COUNTY, Kan. — Three family members, including a young child, tragically lost their lives after a fast-moving fire leveled a home in Neosho County early Monday morning.
The victims have been identified as Dillion Evans, Isabella (Kitterman) Evans, and Easton Lee Evans, according to an online fundraiser organized by family friends following the tragedy.
Emergency crews were initially dispatched just after 1:30 a.m. to what was reported as a grass fire in the area of 80th Road and U.S. Highway 59, the Galesburg Fire Department stated in a media release. En route, responders learned the emergency was actually a working structure fire and immediately called for mutual aid from the St. Paul Mission Township Fire Department and the Erie Fire Department and Auxiliary.
Galesburg Fire Department’s Engine 4 arrived on scene approximately 12 minutes after the initial alert, but firefighters found the residence had already collapsed to the ground.
While working to suppress the intense flames, crews were informed that a family of three was believed to be inside. Due to the catastrophic damage and active fire conditions, firefighters conducted an exterior search of the property. Tragically, all three individuals perished in the blaze.
The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office has assumed control of the investigation to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
