Fire injures 6 at apartments owned by Mental Health Association in Tulsa
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
11/14/12 at 7:28 AM
Five people, including three children, were critically injured in a fire at a Tulsa apartment complex Tuesday evening, a Fire Department official said.
A sixth person, an adult, also was injured, Capt. Stan May said.
The blaze at the Bradstone Apartments, at 1220 S. Quincy Ave., was reported about 8:30 p.m. The complex is owned by the Mental Health Association in Tulsa.
Of the building's 12 apartments, two are a complete loss, May said. Three more have fire damage, and three additional units have smoke and water damage, he said.
The utilities to the building were turned off, and everyone in the apartment complex will be displaced, he added.
Volunteers from the Tulsa Area Chapter of the American Red Cross will meet with affected residents and work with them to provide financial assistance for a place to stay, food and clothing as needed, agency spokeswoman Donita Quesnel said.
Delores Taylor, who lives in a first-floor apartment, said she was taking a bath when her brother alerted her to the fire, which she said started in a water heater and quickly spread through the apartment.
She and her brother knocked on doors to alert their neighbors, she said.
The official cause of the fire had not been determined Tuesday night, but May said investigators think it was caused by a heater, not a water heater.
Another resident, Gayle Griffin, said two men helped rescue her from her second-floor apartment.
She said her dog, Seven, had minor burns.
One of the men lives in the neighborhood near the complex and saw smoke and flames, she said.
He and another man helped her as she jumped from a balcony, she said.
Emergency responders carried several people out of the building on stretchers.
The three children were taken in critical condition to St. Francis Hospital, May and EMSA spokeswoman Kelli Bruer said.
May said shortly after 10 p.m. that the condition of one of the children had been upgraded and the child stabilized.
A 53-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man were taken in critical condition to Hillcrest Medical Center, and a 51-year-old man was taken in fair condition to the Oklahoma State University Medical Center, Bruer said.
Two other patients refused transport to a hospital, she said.
The Bradstone Apartments is one of several apartment complexes that the Mental Health Association in Tulsa owns and maintains as an independent living facility for people with mental illnesses and those who were formerly homeless. Not everyone who lives in its complexes falls into those categories, however.
Matt Gleason, the content coordinator for the Mental Health Association, was at the scene and said the agency would release a statement Wednesday. He would not comment Tuesday night.
Original Print Headline: Apartment fire injures 6, including 3 children
Kendrick Marshall 918-581-8386
kendrick.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Emergency workers help displaced tenants of the Bradstone Apartments after a fire there Tuesday night. Several people were injured in the blaze, officials reported. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
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