TULSA -- Tulsa firefighters battle a house fire while fighting frigid temperatures.
Richard Stowrs thought it was a joke when he got a call while eating at Braum's that his house was on fire.
“I was just kind of shocked I thought my brother was pulling a prank on us while we were sitting for dinner next thing I know we’re seeing lights everywhere,” said Stowrs.
Two dozen firefighters at his home on South 118th East Ave. Smoke billowed from the roof of the home he shares with his mother.
"Devastating…I know we got to rebuild but I think the biggest thing is that we’re glad everybody’s okay," said Stowrs.
The call came in around 6 Saturday evening. Stowrs was at a loss for what could have caused the blaze.
"They’re saying it started in the formal living room, we don’t have anything to catch on fire there,” said Stowrs.
Tulsa firefighters battled both evils with the heat from the flames and on the other side, the frigid temperatures outside. The conditions forced a rotation for half of the crew to change out of wet gloves and get into warm clothing.
"We’re going to rotate two crews through, let them do some salvage and overhaul, let everybody else get warm, and then we’ll rotate through until we get it taken care of,” said District Chief Pete Matlock with the Tulsa Fire Department.
The cold temperatures also posed a threat to the men and women who have to dig through the rubble to make sure all hot spots were out.
"Everything inside the house has been soaked with water so now what we’ve got to do is our salvage and overhaul so now we physically have to grab all that wet stuff and check for hidden fires," said District Chief Matlock.
Fortunately no one was hurt but the home suffered significant damage from the intense flames.
The cause of the house fire is under investigation.
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