TFD Suspects Arson In Vacant House Fire That Sent Firefighter To Hospital

An early morning fire that sent a Tulsa firefighter to the hospital is now being investigated as an arson.

It was the second time firefighters have been called to the vacant house this year.

Dispatchers say a neighbor called just after 1 a.m., saying the house next door was on fire. Eventually, most of the neighborhood woke up because of the commotion.

"I only had time to go get my boots, came back outside, and there was just smoke coming up," said Kyle Mercado.

Our cameras caught the blaze when it was still intensely burning.

One firefighter is still recovering at home Thursday evening. He was rushed from the scene to the hospital with heat-related issues.

"Ryan was standing next to me and said 'I'm feeling kind of light-headed, I think I'm getting ready to go down,'" said firefighter Roger Schafer. "We went ahead and called for EMSA to come out and check him out further, to make sure he's going to be okay."

We'll have to wait for the official report to figure out exactly how the fire started, but the Tulsa Fire says it is moving forward as an arson investigation.

No other homes in the neighborhood were damaged.

TFD says the injured firefighter is Ryan Spyres. He has also served with other departments in the area.