TULSA, Okla. — Close to a dozen Tulsa Fire Department crews battled a three-alarm fire at Windsail Apartments off East 71st Street and Mingo Road July 29.
The fire forced people in 36 different units to evacuate but TFD reported no injuries and several pets rescued.
The smoke trail from the apartment complex could be seen from miles away Monday night.
"This apartment complex is an older complex, so some of the building construction is grandfathered whereas newer buildings have fire stops and less shared attic space," TFD spokesman Andrew Little said. "This is not one of those. It has shared attic space, and fire can easily travel through those so it makes it more difficult. But as I said, our crews are working very hard. They're pretty exhausted right now in just getting this under control."
Phillip Chappelle is one of dozens who lost their homes. He's lived at Windsail for nearly a decade.
He wasn't home when the blaze began, but his partner and her daughter were.
"The little one saved the day," said Chappelle. “She says ‘mommy, someone’s screaming in my ear. Someone’s screaming in my ear.’ And she was like 'no honey it’s probably something you heard before or yesterday or something,' you know. And then she came out, and saw the smoke.”
It's a moment that's been playing over and over in their minds. Chappelle said his partner keeps thinking, 'what if their little girl hadn't heard anything?'
“I just say we can’t think about that you know," he said. "We got our lives, and no one was injured. It’s a miracle.”
Chappelle said it's difficult to think about all that he lost in the fire, but he's trying to keep a clear mind.
“A lifetime of art work, a lifetime of writing," said Chappelle. "I’m a writer, my stories are gone. All that’s gone most likely, but you know what, that’s a book that’s closed. Another book is opening and a whole new chapter is starting.”
After fire crews contained the flames, Chappelle said management at Windsail mobilized quickly. They got him and his displaced neighbors to shelter, and directed them to other resources.
He has not yet been able to go in and assess the damage, but from looking up at his unit, Chappelle said he doesn't think he'll be able to save much.
While he doesn't know exactly what comes next, Chappelle said he's grateful they're all safe.
“We lost a bunch of stuff, but my partner, her daughter, we’re all fine. We can get this stuff back. So what we can do, we can take care of ourselves, focus on the here and now, one moment at a time, you know?"
As of Monday night, TFD investigators haven't narrowed down a definite cause of the fire but Little said it looked to be accidental from disposal of a cigarette. American Red Cross volunteers passed out food and water on scene and will be available to displaced tenants.
The scene also caused major rubbernecking traffic along East 71st Street next to Home Depot and Lowe's. TFD said it requests drivers to focus on the road and stay out of the way.
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