Firefighters trapped during Catoosa house fire
BY AMANDA BLAND World Staff Writer
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
12/26/12 at 2:16 PM
CATOOSA – A firefighter and one other person received medical treatment after a Christmas Day house fire during which responders were momentarily trapped.
The occupants of a home in the 20000 block of East 33rd Place North called the Catoosa Fire Department around 8:30 p.m. as they fled their residence, Fire Chief Denus Benton said.
One of several people inside the home was transported to a hospital for complications related to smoke inhalation.
Benton said firefighters saw flames from the roof’s north end as they neared the residence, which he described as two trailer homes that had been renovated into a single dwelling. A backdraft trapped rescue crews inside briefly, but they were able to escape.
The Oak Grove and Rolling Hills fire departments provided mutual aid, and one of their firefighters was treated at the scene for respiratory problems, he said.
Preliminary information indicates the fire was accidental, but the investigation into its cause is ongoing.
About 50 percent of the structure was destroyed, Benton said.
Associated Images:
Melted siding hangs from a burned home in Catoosa on Wednesday. The house caught fire on Christmas Day, destroying nearly everything inside. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Ginger Beach (right) and Raymond Jackson salvage furniture from a burned home in Catoosa on Wednesday. The house caught fire on Christmas Day, destroying nearly everything inside. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Charred books still smolder at a home in Catoosa on Wednesday. The house caught fire on Christmas Day, destroying nearly everything inside. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
Valorey Totten, friend of a family whose house caught fire on Christmas day in Catoosa. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
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