Woman Rescued, Families Displaced In Tulsa Apartment Fire

Tulsa firefighters were called to a fire Friday night at the Avondale Apartments in the 6800 block of South Trenton Avenue around 7:30. 

The apartment complex is between Peoria and Lewis avenues, just north of 71st Street in southeast Tulsa.

District Chief Jon Steiner said a second story balcony was burning when they got the complex, and they got the fire out quickly. 

"We had a report of a handicapped person that needed assistance getting out, and we were able to find them and get to them fairly quickly," he said. The woman was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, the district chief said.

One man said he was in his apartment watching Netflix and started smelling smoke. He thought he left the oven on, so when he opened his window, he noticed there was more smoke outside than in.

"I leashed my dogs, and I put on my shoes and I dipped out," said Chea Leger. "I banged on all my neighbors' doors. I came back over here, and the flames were literally coming out of the building. It was crazy."

Four units were damaged too badly to be inhabited. Some of the other units smell of smoke.

Steiner said they thought they would be able to naturally ventilate the smoky apartments, and they were searching for hidden fire and trying to salvage as much of the building as possible.

"We will work with property management to try to figure out what we do with these occupants," he said.

Tulsa Fire said they've been in touch with the Red Cross to help get those displaced somewhere to stay tonight. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.