Fire destroys downtown buildings in Cyril

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CYRIL — More than 60 firefighters from area agencies spent about six hours Monday battling a downtown blaze that destroyed two buildings in this Caddo County town of about 1,000 residents.

The walls of Scoggins Home Furnishings, a furniture store, and the empty Cyril Food Store were still standing Monday night, but the interiors and roofs were burned and the windows blown out by the fire that began about 2:30 p.m. and was not knocked down until about 8:30 p.m., said Cyril Fire Chief Kenneth Luna. A few hot spots were still burning inside the stores late Monday night.

U.S. 277 was shut down at the north end of town and one block south of Main Street, authorities said. State Department if Transportation workers set up barricades and more troopers were called in to direct traffic. The highway was expected to be shut down until daylight.

The fire started in the back room of the furniture store, Luna said. He said his department didn't have enough water for the size of the building and tankers were called in to battle the blaze. A tar roof also was a problem. Luna said the fire could have been contained to the furniture store, but it spread across the roof to the other building.

Firefighters evacuated the nearby Huckleberry Inn and kept it hosed down to keep it from catching fire. The town's only gas station also was evacuated and closed.

No financial damage estimate was made Monday night. No injuries were reported.