KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In what’s normally the season of giving, a Kansas City, Kansas, woman is mourning a loss that a fire took from her.
"It’s Christmastime and I lose everything," Pamela Birdsong said. "I don’t know what to do from here."
Birdsong’s been living in on 47th street for eight years. She lived with her boyfriend until he passed away in 2020.
"My life was right here in this house I lost," Birdsong said.
Burn marks and ashes now reside where she used to.
She was able to salvage some clothes, but the entire inside of her home is black and full of insulation.
Her two dogs survived, but she's also mourning the loss of her cat, who died in the fire.
The fire happened Monday morning while Birdsong was at work.
Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department firefighters were dispatched at 9:20 a.m.
Birdsong's friend was staying with her and put a space heater on in the garage to keep a dog warm.
Somehow, the space heater was knocked over, and the fire spread quickly.
That's when her friend tried to grab a hose to try to fight it.
"My boyfriend could have put that fire out if we had water," Birdsong said.
The water was cut off because the Board of Public Utilities had a crew repairing a water main break on her street.
Here is a timeline of events a BPU spokesperson shared regarding the water main break and fire:
- 12/10/24: BPU received public reports of a water main leak. As is standard protocol, repair scheduling was determined based on the severity of the leak, the location, and the prioritization of other essential water utility operations.
- 12/16/24 (7:15 a.m.): BPU's Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system called all customers impacted by the water outage. The notification informed residents that water service would be disrupted from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. that day.
- 8:52 a.m.: BPU crews arrived at the site of the repair.
- 8:54 a.m.: Water service was initially shut off to allow for safe repair of the main.
- 9:19 a.m.: Crews onsite contacted BPU Dispatch to notify the Kansas City, Kansas Fire Department (KCKFD) that water service was being restored.
- 9:21 a.m.: The water main valves were reopened to restore service.
- 11:21 a.m.: Water was turned off again to allow BPU crews to complete repairs on the broken main.
- 4:38 p.m.: The repair was finalized, and water services were fully restored.
"It's important to note that BPU informed the KCKFD at key points during this process, including when water was temporarily restored and when services were fully restored later that day," a statement from BPU read. "The safety of our community is always a top priority, and we work closely with local emergency services to ensure coordination. We remain focused on providing reliable water service and maintaining open communication with residents and emergency services. For questions regarding the house fire, we recommend contacting the KCK Fire Department for further details about their response and investigation."
The fire's gone, but Birdsong's left with something she doesn't recognize.
"This was my home," Birdsong said with tears in her eyes.
It was unpredictable, but preventable.
"This time of year, we usually see an influx," said Scott Schaunaman, the assistant Chief of Training and Public Information Officer for KCKFD.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, space heaters account for approximately 21,800 residential fires per year.
Portable space heaters, like the one in Birdsong’s house, cause around 1,700 fires a year.
Schaunaman recommends five safety tips for using these heaters:
- Plug directly into an outlet
- Place on a level surface
- Keep three feet distance between a space heater and other flammable objects
- Turn it off when unattended or sleeping
- Inspect cords and make sure they’re not frayed, pinched or damaged in any way
He also recommends not running cords under rugs and checking for a UL certification to ensure it adheres to current safety standards.
"If it's old, just replace it," Schaunaman said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation with KCKFD, but there's one thing Birdsong knows for sure.
"I don't even know how to start," she said.
For now, she’s holding onto what she has and only asking for what she needs.
"Pray for me, pray for my dogs, my friend," Birdsong said. "Anything would help right now."
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KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.