3 firefighters injured, at least 22 homes damaged by fire in Overland Park

UPDATE 4 p.m. (Tuesday): At least 22 homes are damaged after a fire broke out Monday at the Royale at City Place Apartments, an Overland Park apartment complex under construction, and spread to nearby homes.

Tuesday, firefighters on scene continued to monitor and put out hot spots. Meanwhile, Kansas City's KCTV-5 reports investigators have determined the cause of the apartment-complex fire was accidental, started from a spark from a welder's torch.

Of the 22 homes that were damaged, at least eight are being considered "unlivable."

Investigators say the cause of the fire to each of the 22 homes has to be investigated separately and it could be quite a while before we get a clear view of what caused it. Fire officials are saying they do not believe there was any foul play.

The three firefighters injured while fighting the massive blaze are expected to be okay.

Overland Park Fire spokesman Jason Rhodes says he has never seen anything like this fire before.

"I've talked to a number of people from all of the departments that were her, and no one's seen anything like this," he says. "This was, you know, a once-in-lifetime event, we hope. We don't want to see it again. It was just tremendous."

As they continue to monitor hot spots, firefighters are urging residents in the area to keep a close eye on their property.

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UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: Kansas City CBS affiliate, KCTV5 reports three firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting Monday's fire at an apartment complex in Overland Park. The station says embers from that fire blew to homes next door and at least 17 homes caught fire.

At least two apartment buildings were destroyed and people in the area were asked to evacuate.

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire.The apartment complex was under construction.

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Crews from as far off as Lawrence fight to stay ahead of flames after as many as 12 homes and an apartment complex catch fire in Overland Park.

The Overland Park Fire Department says the fire started in a portion of the four-story apartment complex that was under construction.

There have been no reports of injuries although not everyone has been accounted for.

Fire crews say construction materials in the apartment complex helped fuel the fire. High winds carried embers south and caught the homes on fire.

Crews are trying to contain the blaze, but fire keeps jumping from roof to roof.

Fire departments from across Johnson County have been called in to help battle the blaze.