Fire Damages Two Homes In SE OKC

A fire in southeast Oklahoma City damaged two homes Sunday, displacing two families and their pets.

Fire crews think the fire started just after 5 p.m. in between the houses on the 1100 block of SE 18, but they are still investigating the cause.

One of the family members has his own theory. Kevin Arnold said his 4-wheeler had been having electrical problems recently, and it was on the side of the house that was burned.

Arnold had been staying in one of the homes with his parents and fiancée, and was just about to leave Sunday evening when he saw the smoke.

“It was just like on the side of the house and I asked my fiancée, ‘does Dad know there’s a fire on the side of the house?’” he said.

The family went inside to grab their three dogs and as many items as they could. That is when Arnold's mother and fiancée Samantha had a scary encounter.

“I was in the bedroom and I called her in there, and the window busted and she ran over there and pulled the blanket and the curtain down and the fire just came in,” said Samantha Weimer of her future mother-in-law.

Firefighters arrived six minutes after getting the first call. The crews called in a second alarm to help, as they say flames and smoke had spread.

Maj. Darrell Little said the Arnold family’s house suffered damage to the bedrooms, “and the fire did make it up into the attic in both structures. We were able to get lines in place to keep that in check.”

What took longer was removing many of the Arnold family's belongings from their home.

“What we’re doing is taking out anything that was burned inside those bedrooms, bringing it outside and make sure there’s nothing inside that’s still hot and burning," Little said.

The Arnolds’ neighbor was also able to get out of her home and Little said firefighters rescued her cat after arriving on scene.

Firefighters estimated there are about $20,000 in damage to both homes. The houses may be livable after some repairs, but the fire department's community service liaison is working with the families to find housing in the meantime.