Kingman community steps up for families displaced by apartment fire

KINGMAN, Kan. (KWCH) - A Saturday-morning fire at a Kingman apartment complex left more than a dozen families without a home. But the fire also sparked a big response from the small Kansas town about 45 miles west of Wichita.

The Kingman Historic Theatre and Citizen’s Bank are leading fundraising efforts to help those who lost everything.

“You know fire, but until you actually see it with your own eyes, when we go back into town, you realize the devastation Kingman Historic Theatre General Manager Deena Lampe said.

Lampe said the team effort to help the 20-plus people displaced by Saturday’s fire is what small-town Kansas is all about.

“Lives are important, things can be replaced,” she said. “And so, we’ve got the lives and that is checked off, so now we need to work as a community and (with) area communities to get them the things that they need.”

Lampe also said victims and first responders to Saturday’s fire are welcome to come to the historic theatre on Sunday, Sept. 25, for a free movie and concessions.

Lampe said she’s a small part of a much bigger effort to help.

“This was a pretty big deal for Kingman to have, and we’ve got to just remember everybody that was impacted by this,” she said of the fire.

Lampe said those wanting to assist in the recovery effort can mail money to the Kingman Historic Theatre. There is also a GoFundMe page to help families displaced by the fire.

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