Kitchen fire suspected at Messenger Towers early Wednesday

Residents at Messenger Towers—Joplin’s tallest building, located at 2nd and Virginia—were awoken to a disturbance Wednesday morning when reports of a fire alarm around 7:30 alerted first responders.

Reports of an accidental fire in a kitchen near a stove on the 11th floor was the culprit. The investigation is still ongoing, but the fire was extinguished quickly. Residents on the floors 10-14 were evacuated to allow the smoke to clear before being allowed to return inside shortly after 9 a.m. No injuries were reported

“Looks like it’s going to be a fire in the kitchen area,” Joplin Deputy Fire Chief Andy Nimmo said to NewsTalk KZRG. “We’re still looking at it, trying to figure things out. No one was transported to the hospital. There were several who received on-site medical evaluations, and police and METS were here to assist us.”