Tulsa World: Updated: Four dead in Tulsa area fires

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Updated: Four dead in Tulsa area fires

Fire claimed the life of a Broken Arrow man early this morning. Here, fire investigators Stan Spradlin (stooping) and Paul Thompson work the scene. Robert S. Cross/Tulsa World

By KELLY HINES World Staff Writer
Published: 12/13/2007 7:48 AM
Last Modified: 12/13/2007 5:33 PM

The deaths of a prominent Tulsa lawyer and a 51-year-old Broken Arrow man with multiple sclerosis have raised to four the number of people killed in Tulsa-area fires this week.

The cause of the Broken Arrow fire Thursday at 2300 W. Commercial Court has not been determined, but firefighters have "every reason" to believe it was caused by alternative heat sources because the house was without power, said Greg Neely, Broken Arrow deputy chief of prevention.

A passer-by spotted the fire and called 911 about 4:30 a.m. Firefighters, who were in the area investigating a carbon monoxide incident, arrived and quickly put out the blaze that began in the living room.

The body of the victim was found inside. His name has not been released.

The man lived alone, but neighbors said they had been checking on him regularly. He told friends he bought a generator the night before, but it was still in his van outside, Neely said.

Residents on the close-knit street were stunned to learn of the man’s death. He had been staying with a friend, so they didn’t realize he was home.

“We all did as much as we could to check on him,” said neighbor Jessica Stanco, who took lunch over Tuesday. Stanco got to know the man well after his twin brother, who also had multiple sclerosis, died from cancer about a month ago. The brothers lived together and were extremely close.

The man, who was a retired IRS agent, resided in the neighborhood longer than anyone else on the street and would be missed,

Stanco said.

“It’s just so tragic,” Stanco said. “It’s not going to be the same.”

Despite his disease, the man was always friendly and equally helpful to others on the street, next-door neighbor Adam Pilant said.

Lawyer Jim Lang died Wednesday night after being pulled from a fire at his house in the 2700 block of South Utica Avenue, Capt. Larry Bowles said.

Lang’s wife, Sharon Corbitt, remains in critical condition.

The blaze likely spread from a fireplace in a den-like room, firefighters said, but there were also candles in the home. Lang, 66, was found unconscious a second-story bedroom, and firefighters performed CPR on him in the front lawn. A thermal imaging camera found Corbitt unconscious in the same room.

The couple received advanced life support care from EMSA paramedics and was taken to St. John Medical Center, where Lang was pronounced dead.

Fire crews quickly knocked down the blaze, but the home sustained an estimated $40,000 to $50,000 in damage. Firefighters said they did not know whether the home had power at the time of the fire.

Names of victims in other weather-related deaths were also released Thursday. Ralph Ward, 68, died Wednesday morning in a fire at Saddle Brook Apartments, 1400 E. 62nd Place. An unattended candle appears to have caused that blaze.

The name of a woman who died Monday from smoke inhalation in a house fire near 800 S. Trenton Ave. has not been released.

All the fatal fires in the area have been related to the power outage, prompting firefighters to stress the importance of taking precautions with heat sources.

In addition to those who have died in fires this week, Clarence Brooks Jr., 61, died in a car accident Monday morning when he drove his truck into a low-hanging electrical wire that pulled a utility pole down, crushing him. By KELLY HINES World Staff Writer

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