Authorities are working to identify the three victims who died this morning at the southwest Oklahoma City apartment, but police are awaiting a ruling from the medical examiner before the deceased are officially classified as homicide victims.
Neighbors on SW 24 between Agnew and S Villa awoke to the blaze shortly before 2:30 a.m. as fire was already sweeping through the large house that had been turned into apartments.
When firefighters arrived at the two-story apartment building, the front of the structure was engulfed in heavy flames and fire was already boring out the back side, Deputy Fire Chief Cecil Clay said.
“Dispatch reported that there were people trapped in an apartment and when we got there, that was the case,” Clay said.
A total of nine people were apparently home when the fire was reported. Three people were found dead inside and two were injured when they escaped, Clay said. One woman injured her back while jumping out a window and a man burned his hand on a door knob before exiting an apartment window.
“Our crews made an initial interior attack because there were people trapped,” Clay said. “They fought their way in, and we did find two victims, but they were already deceased so they did not remove them at that time.”
Two of the adult victims were on the second floor of the building. A third was found at the bottom of a first-floor stairwell.
As the intensity of the fire grew and the roof began to collapse, firefighters had to pull out and assume a defensive stance, Clay said.
“This is one of those types of structures that could have easily collapsed,” he said of the aging building.
Clay said there is no information on the cause of the fire, other than it is believed to have originated near the front of the structure.
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