Norman tire company up in smoke Tuesday

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

Firefighters from Goldsby, Norman, Purcell and Newcastle battled a large fire at a tire company near Goldsby Tuesday afternoon.

The LWM aftermarket tire company caught fire along Interstate 35 near the town south of Norman and firefighters at the scene said it appeared the 4,000 square foot building will be a total loss.

Red River Industries, Inc. and Balfour Co. were also located in the building.

No injuries were reported. Winds were pushing the smoke away from I-35.

Sherwood Taylor owns Balfour Graduation Sales. He tried desperately to get a few items out, but in little time, his business was swallowed up by the flames. He and his wife also lost a lot personal treasures they kept stored at his office.

"We had a lot of ornaments we had given the kids every year, our oldest child is 24, so that's 24 years of ornaments," Taylor said.

Darrin Moore lost his tire and wheels business. Those tires made it especially tough to get the fire out.

"At the front, we had wheels and tires mounted up," Moore said. "When it got up to there, you could hear them popping because they were aired up. It was an interesting day."

Agents from the state fire marshal's office are conducting the investigation. They haven't found a cause yet.