OKMULGEE, Okla. — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Lighthorse police are investigating a fire that killed three people on Nov. 16.
On May 14, the ATF announced up to a $5,000 reward for information lead to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) responsible for the fire.
Okmulgee Fire Chief Dewayne Hurt told 2 News crews responded to a fire near 6th and Taft around 6 a.m. The fire was in an "advanced" stage, burning down one of the staircases.
The fire occurred in a two-story quad-apartment building. The four lower-level residents were able to escape the fire.
Firefighters had trouble getting to the second floor, where they found the victims.
2 News talked to Riley Fout and her boyfriend, Brendan Jones, who got out.
"I thought it was the heater, and then and then it was glowing. I wake her up and say, hey, and she goes to the window, and it’s just all orange. It was just engulfed," Jones said.
Fout described the feeling of the heat, "It’s like if you had your heater on high for hours. It's like sticking your face right in front of a heater. Were you sweating? The metal on my face for my piercings were hot."
Gilbert Tyner is in from Montana, visiting his son, who lives near the scene. The presence of ATF and Lighthorse investigators caught his eye.
"Little bit above average on what you see on an average house fire," Tyner said, "God bless the families involved."
The ATF said in May that the cause of the fire is undetermined and they are struggling to find witnesses or evidence.
"Investigators have canvassed the area and have not been able to locate any witnesses or video prior to or very near the start of the fire. Investigators have conducted multiple interviews, but have a gap in information from approximately 4:00 a.m. until the first 911 call at 5:56 a.m," the ATF said in a press release.
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