ONE ELDERLY PERSON DEAD IN SATURDAY MORNING I-44 MOTEL FIRE IN SAPULPA,
OKLAHOMA. DOZENS OF ROOMS DESTROYED.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
SAPULPA, OK - At least one man has died and a firefighter
sustained minor injuries in a fire that destroyed multiple rooms and displaced
dozens of guests at a motel on Interstate 44, officials confirmed Saturday.
Firefighters were called to the Interstate Inn Express,
at the 5500 block of West Skelly Drive, around 8:35 a.m. after receiving
reports of second-story units being on fire, Sapulpa Battalion Chief D.J.
Keizor said. They arrived to see nearly all of the units in the easternmost
section "fully involved" in flames, he said.
The Tulsa Fire Department arrived about an hour later to
assist Sapulpa, which sent its full fleet to fight the blaze, Keizor said.
Multiple motel guests said a man, who they described as
older, died after being unable to escape in time. His name wasn't available as
of late Saturday morning.
Keizor said EMSA transported at least one person to a
nearby hospital, as well as treated others on-site, including a Sapulpa
firefighter who suffered a minor hand burn. That firefighter has since returned
to working at the scene.
The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner is on scene and
firefighters are continuing to search through the rubble to see if anyone else
died in the incident. Multiple fire investigators are also looking into what
caused the fire.
The Red Cross has also arrived at the complex to assist
displaced motel guests, many of whom said they have been living at the motel
for at least three months. The motel offers a $110 per week rate.