OKC House Deemed Uninhabitable 2 Weeks Before It Burned Down

A large house fire in Oklahoma City, left several people homeless Friday. 

When firefighters got there shortly before 3 p.m., OKC Fire Department Spokesman Benny Fulkerson says the huge two-story structure was beyond saving.

Fulkerson says firefighters were called to the structure on a medical call two months ago. It was then, he says, the city realized the house had been divided up into as many as twelve apartments.

“We installed smoke detectors in all of those areas that night we were here. Because it still seemed unsafe, we went ahead and reported that to our fire marshal’s office,” said Fulkerson.

The City-County Health Department told News 9 it placarded the structure as “uninhabitable” on March 13.

“No water service…interior of house is filthy and unkempt. House has been converted to a multi-family dwelling without adequate restroom facilities,” is part of the statement the City-County Health Department sent to News 9 Friday afternoon.

George Southall was one of several tenants who were in the massive home, and he fled from the blaze.

“Yeah, I was at home downstairs and I was asleep,” he said.

Neither Southall nor other tenants News 9 talked to could provide documentation giving the name and phone number of their landlord.