1 killed in Broken Arrow house fire, cause under investigation

By John Dobberstein, Editor

A house fire that broke out Thursday night killed 1 person and the cause is still under investigation, the Broken Arrow Fire Department said.

At 9:42 p.m., Broken Arrow firefighters were called to a house on Fredericksburg Street, near the intersection of Elm Place and 131^st Street. After battling smoke and flames for nearly an hour, firefighters conducted a search found one victim inside the home who was unresponsive and passed away.

The Broken Arrow Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the family, friends, loved ones and everyone affected by this tragic loss,” BAFD spokesman Jarrett Hardwick said.

A Broken Arrow police who arrived on scene last night saw the flames coming out of the roof. The officer attempted to enter the home and call out for any occupants but was driven back by heavy flames, Hardwick said.  

As fire crews arrived, the home was deemed fully involved with fire and firefighters had to use defensive tactics to establish fire attack, Hardwick said. As heavy fire continued through the roof of the home, firefighters and police began evacuating surrounding homes due to the threat of the fire spreading.

Hardwick said firefighters made a partial entry into the home to perform a search, but the structural integrity of the second floor was beginning to become compromised and for safety, firefighters had to evacuate.

Firefighters eventually got the fire under control and had it extinguished at 10:26 p.m. but some were on scene afterwards for nearly 5 hours.

Responding to the scene was the Broken Arrow Fire Marshal’s Office, BAFD Engine 1, Engine 3, Engine 7, Ladder 2, Rescue 1, Squad 2, Squad 3, the battalion chief and an EMS officer, along with the Broken Arrow Police Department.

Photos courtesy of Tulsa Traffic Jams