Fire Damages McPherson Museum's Haunted House Building

MCPHERSON, Kan. — A fire broke out early Tuesday morning in a two-story building owned by the McPherson Museum that houses the city's annual haunted house attraction. The McPherson Fire Department responded to multiple reports of smoke in the 1100 block of East Kansas Avenue at 5:23 a.m., with police officers first spotting smoke coming from the roof eaves of 1107 E. Kansas Avenue.

Firefighters discovered flames on the second floor that had burned through portions of the floor and ceiling before extending into the attic. The building's haunted house setup, which operates each October, complicated firefighting efforts and required additional crews from Galva and Inman fire departments. A section of Kansas Avenue was temporarily closed during the emergency response, which involved five fire apparatus, three command vehicles and 24 personnel total.

The blaze was brought under control shortly after 7 a.m., with damage contained to the building's interior. The structure was vacant at the time of the fire, and investigators believe the cause was accidental in nature. Kansas Gas Service, McPherson Board of Public Utilities and McPherson EMS also responded to the scene to assist with the incident.

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