Basehor Police Chief Vince Weston said the home of Billy Devosha, 3609 N. 155th St., was reported burning about 4 a.m. when an occupant of the home asked a neighbor to call 911.

According to the police report, Devosha said he heard loud popping noises coming from the deck at the back of the house.

He noticed fire and smoke coming from the area.

Weston said that Devosha awoke the other two occupants of the house, Katina McKoy and Robert Marshall, who tried to remove cats and a dog that were inside the house.

When Devosha went back inside the house to look for another cat, Weston said, Devosha was overcome by smoke and was pulled from the building by Marshall. A Red Cross van took Devosha to St. John Hospital, Leavenworth, where he was treated in the emergency room for smoke inhalation, burns to his face and and smoke irritation to his eyes. He was released Monday.

The home was heavily damaged by fire and the inside was gutted.

“The walls are still standing but that’s basically it,” Weston said.

Weston said the fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.

“But it appears to be accidental,” he added.

Tuesday afternoon, Allen Goens, chief of the Fairmount Township Fire Department said the fire marshal had investigated and said the fire appeared to have been caused by a cooking device on the back porch.