Firefighter ‘Mayday’ at abandoned Independence strip mall amid $100M redevelopment plans

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV) - A firefighter narrowly escaped injury Friday morning after becoming separated from his crew during a massive three-alarm blaze at the long-vacant Noland Fashion Square shopping center.

The fire broke out in the 7 a.m. hour at the empty strip mall, drawing a heavy emergency response that forced neighboring Kansas City crews to backfill local stations. During the intense firefight, an Independence firefighter became disoriented and issued an urgent ‘Mayday’ distress call before safely navigating his way out of the burning building.

“A firefighter was briefly disoriented and separated from his crew, called for a Mayday and was eventually able to get out safely,” said Independence Fire’s Eric Michel. Michel added that crews called for a second and then a third alarm as the fire grew, ultimately using a massive fan to help knock down the residual flames.

Surrounding fire departments assisted in battling the blaze. No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Independence Council Member Jennie Vaught expressed heartbreak over the fire, which heavily impacted the former Toys “R” Us building.

“After more than 10 years of this property sitting vacant, we were finally looking forward to seeing redevelopment begin this fall,” Vaught said in a statement. “While this is incredibly sad, I remain hopeful that this is only a setback.”

Tri-Land Properties has plans to spend $100 million transforming the former Toys R Us location into a Price Chopper. The developer contacted KCTV5 Friday afternoon and said the fire will not stop the project and does not appear to have set it back. A spring groundbreaking remains the target.

The City of Independence confirmed the project is moving forward, saying the developer remains committed pending a structural assessment by their engineers and continues to view the redevelopment positively.

Neighbor Robert Biagioli, who has lived in the area for 36 years, said he welcomes the change.

“They throw trash in the lot, and then they throw trash there on the sidewalk near the building,” Biagioli said. “People don’t care.”

He added that a grocery store would benefit the surrounding community.

“It’d be nice. I mean, this is a huge area, and it would really be good for shopping, like it used to be, you know, 20, 30 years ago,” Biagioli said. “And it would allow the people in this area to have, to be closer to things.”

Vaught offered her ‘sincere thank you’ to the Independence fire and police departments, as well as the assisting mutual-aid agencies, for protecting surrounding businesses.

The sprawling Noland Fashion Square has sat vacant for more than a decade and has been a frequent source of police and fire calls. The incident occurs as the city considers a proposed $100 million redevelopment plan by Tri-Land Properties, which would involve completely gutting the strip mall’s structures to relocate a Price Chopper grocery store to the site.