Fatal Sapulpa-area fire not thought suspicious
BY JERRY WOFFORD World Staff Writer
Thursday, December 13, 2012
12/13/12 at 5:50 AM
State fire officials said Wednesday that the blaze that killed a man near Sapulpa is not suspicious, although the cause is still under investigation.
Matthew Locust, 46, was on the second floor of the home in the 6200 block of South 46th West Avenue when it caught fire Monday morning, authorities said.
He "had some type of medical issue" that might have prevented him from escaping, said JoAnne Sellars, a spokeswoman for the state Fire Marshal's Office.
The Sapulpa Fire Department was called to the home about 10:25 a.m.
When firefighters arrived, "the house was about 80 percent involved," Assistant Fire Chief David Taylor said Monday.
Sellers said Locust lived in the home with his father and brother, who had both left earlier that morning.
When they returned, they found smoke and flames coming from the second-floor windows. Neighbors also reported seeing the flames about the same time, Sellars said.
The father tried to go into the house, and neighbors reported "that he came back out and he was on fire," Sellars said.
Tony Oldham, who lives in the area, was headed home from work when he and the people he was with saw smoke.
He said Monday that he and a friend "tried to run in (to the burning house), but when we got to the stairs, there was too much flame. There was nothing we could do."
He also said he saw the father with severe burns on his body and arms.
Once the fire was extinguished, Sellars said, Locust's body was discovered on the first floor.
It was believed that the second floor had collapsed into the house during the fire.
The house was a total loss, she said.
Sellars said inspectors are continuing their investigation but believe that the fire started on the second floor.
Original Print Headline: Fatal fire not thought suspicious
Jerry Wofford 918-581-8310
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com
