Man Dies After Parsons Apartment Fire - KOAM TV 7

Man Dies After Parsons Apartment Fire

A Southeast Kansas man has died from injuries suffered in a holiday fire.

The fire happened at an apartment building on the 13 hundred block of Main St. in Parsons. The damage is not visible from outside of the house, but on Christmas Eve, an automated call set off by smoke was sent out to the fire department from an upstairs apartment. Fire crews were told a man might be in an apartment on the ground floor.

They quickly found and rescued 47 year-old Robert Niebaum Junior. He was treated at the scene  then taken to Labette Health, but has since died at the hospital.

The fire chief believes the fire originated near a floor furnace.

"With floor furnaces or furnaces of that nature make sure there's nothing around them that is flammable if you have little kids or whatever make sure that they don't drop toys on them or down in 'em those kind of things 'cause there's always a chance that something like that could cause a fire," says Parsons Fire Chief Larry Steeby.