Press Releases

On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at 3:39 p.m., the Lee's Summit Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 1200 block of SW Surrey Trace after a neighbor reported seeing black smoke coming from the eaves of a house. It was unclear whether anyone was inside. Firefighters arrived to find smoke visible from a window on the back of the two-story, single-family residence. Crews entered the smoke-filled home and discovered a fire in the kitchen that had spread through the ceiling into a second-floor bedroom. As firefighters battled the blaze, they confirmed that the house was unoccupied. The homeowner arrived later during the incident. Fire officials declared the fire under control at 4:18 p.m. The fire caused heavy damage to the kitchen and part of the second-floor bedroom, with smoke and heat damage affecting the remainder of both floors. The fire is believed...

Thank you to everyone who attended the Open House at Station 3! If you missed it, we invite you to join us on May 17 from 9 a.m. to noon for an Open House at Fire Station No. 2., 2000 NE Rice Road. During this event, you'll have the opportunity to tour the station, meet our firefighters, and learn more about how we serve the community. Remember to get your fire department passport stamped during your visit. If you attend all of the Anniversary Open Houses, you will be eligible to enter a prize drawing! We hope to see you there!

The City of Lee’s Summit is pleased to announce Jeff Thorn's appointment as director of Water Utilities, effective March 20. Thorn replaces Mark Schaufler, who retired in February after serving the City for 31 years. Thorn has more than 28 years of experience in engineering, project management and the construction of water and wastewater projects. For the past five years, he has been the deputy director of Lee’s Summit Water Utilities, managing the Engineering Division, Operations Division and Facilities Group. In this role, he provided specific technical support and guidance related to the water distribution systems, wastewater collection systems and facilities, equipment and controls. Before that, he served as the utility’s assistant director of engineering, managing all engineering aspects for the water and wastewater utility.  In his new role,...