Fire Destroys Tulsa Home

An early morning fire destroyed a home early Friday in north Tulsa.

"It was, like, the most beautiful house on the block," said neighbor Ashley Hollingshead.

Firefighters spent the early morning hours fighting the flames at the home at the corner of North Delaware and Tecumseh. They said the home was engulfed when they arrived just before 3:30 a.m., so firefighters had to fight it from a distance, getting the fire manageable before going inside.

"Dangerous tactic for us to make an additional entry when there's flames showing throughout the entire house so you stay outside the house and use larger water lines to knock the fire down and then go in," said District Fire Chief Nate Morgans.

The homeowner wasn't there at the time. Some neighbors say the house used to be one of the nicest in the neighborhood.

"The yard was always done. There wasn't ever no trash. They had all the windows, kept it painted," said Pam Hollingshead.  

Not a lot remains of the home.  Firefighters say the home has a history of drug labs and disturbance calls under previous tenants.  But the fire department says they don't believe it played a factor in the fire.

Neighbors say it's sad to see the house destroyed.

"Nothing is left. I mean, I've never seen anything like that, especially close to home," said Ashley Hollingshead.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.