Burn barrel suspected in fire at Canada
Staff writer
A back yard burner in Canada touched off a three-alarm conflagration that spread to junk vehicles and a shed Friday, sending a plume of black smoke that could be seen in Marion.
Cars and pickups on property owned by Jason Kirkby were damaged. Tires burned, but none of the fuel tanks ignited.
Popping sounds came from the shed. Marion Fire Chief Chris Killough said the popping may have been caused by exploding aerosol cans. A propane tank also was inside the shed but did not explode.
Firefighters spent about 2½ hours on the scene.
When a second Marion truck arrived, Killough assigned firefighters to protect a house from being reached by the fire.
None of the firefighters were injured, but ambulance medics checked some of them for signs of overheating, Killough said.
Killough thanked Hillsboro and Peabody fire departments, EMS, and the sheriff’s office for their help.
Kirkby is stepbrother of Robert Mans, who pleaded no contest in April 18, 2022, to aggravated battery and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Wichita resident Shalan Gannon. Gannon allegedly was murdered on the property.
Kirkby pleaded no contest May 23, 2022, to desecration of a body and was sentenced to a year’s probation.