Authorities find man dead in house fire debris after standoff in Northland

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A home near Main and Cookingham was on fire for hours after a standoff was declared in the area.

Just before 10 p.m. Thursday, authorities found a man dead in a house that caught fire after an hours-long standoff.

According to the Kansas City Fire Department, a hostile individual was still inside the home and defensive operations had to take place outside the home.

The fire has been extinguished, but police are currently evacuating the home to determine if this was a fatality.

‘We know what’s in that house. We don’t know what precautions someone has taken and could take to create a distraction situation with a fire or something like that,” said Kansas City Missouri Police Chief Jake Becchina. “So they’re going to take every precaution. They will still continue with de-escalation efforts.”

KCFD confirmed the severity of the house fire and stated that the home sustained significant damage. The fire is still smoldering and police said they have deployed drones to get a picture and have robots search possible hideouts.

Once authorities are confident it has become a “recovery effort,” firefighters will begin extinguishing the fire more thoroughly.

At 8:45 p.m., officers used robotic and drone video to check the back of the house but were unable to find the man in that area. KCFD moves closer to the house to deploy more aggressive water to fight the fire.

Nothing is yet known about how the fire started.

A nearby elementary school in North KC was placed on lockdown Thursday afternoon as a result of the standoff.

The North KC School District said Nashua Elementary School was placed under a “lock and teacher” lockdown and the dismissal was changed due to a police response in the area.

A spokesperson for the Kansas City, Missouri, police department said officers responded to a “nearby” home with an armed person inside. KCPD said they were called to a home in the 11500 block of N. Cherry on reports of a suicidal person.

The standoff has nothing to do with the school, KCPD confirmed.

KCPD said officers made verbal contact with a man inside the home remotely. After trying to get him outside to check on his well-being, officers heard the sound of several gunshots coming from the house.

As a result, additional resources and trained negotiators were brought to the scene. Police said they believe the man was home alone and said tactical officers and emergency vehicles helped evacuate surrounding residents and the nearby school, which was on lockdown and holding classes.

Ultimately, Nashua Elementary School was dismissed with assistance from the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Negotiators remain at the home and KCPD said officers continue to hear the sound of gunshots coming from the home. Around 6 p.m., law enforcement officials said a fire started in the house.

This is a development story. KCTV will update as more information becomes available.