LAWTON, Okla_We have an
update on an early-morning house fire that destroyed a home in Northwest Lawton. The fire broke out just before 7 a.m.
on Nob Hill Road,
just off Northwest 38th Street.
The homeowner said the fire started in an apartment that her son lives in,
which is attached to her home. She said within minutes, the fire had spread to
the main house.
One firefighter
was taken to a local hospital for heat exhaustion. Luckily, the homeowner and
her son made it out safely. In fact, she said her son is the one who pulled her
to safety. Everyone said they are both extremely lucky to have made it out
alright.
The billowing
flames and smoke could be seen for miles down 38th Street, as firefighters attempted to
put out the raging fire. Next door neighbor Sherry Reed said she was awakened
by another neighbor knocking at her door, warning her of the fire. She said she
was not prepared for what she saw.
"You could
see the flames to start with. You could see the smoke it was billowing out of
the house. Eventually, we just saw the flames just shooting up everywhere."
Assistant Fire Chief
Lonnie London said some additions to the home made it difficult to contain the
fire.
"There
were several roofs under there, so when we had come in from the top we think
we'd have a hole in it but we didn't. When we came in from the bottom and
pulled the ceiling down we weren't getting all the voids."
London said those
voids created avenues for the fire to spread rapidly through the house. There
was also the issue of the location. Assistant Chief London said the fact that
the house sits so high on the hill was both lucky and unlucky for firefighters.
He said it was unlucky because of the windy conditions up here. He said it's
lucky because the house is isolated, so the fire has less of a chance of
threatening as many structures.
"I feel
really bad for them. This is terrible. This is her home. She's lived here for
over 50 years now. They came out and told her it is probably a total loss. So, our
hearts go out to her."
Assistant Chief
London said the homeowner and her son had smoke detectors in the house, which
helped alert them. But he also warned others who make additions to their homes
to open up those voids in the build he mentioned earlier, in case of a fire.
The cause of the fire has not been determined. The Lawton Fire Marshal's
office is investigating the fire.
