Fire Damages High-Rise Downtown Tulsa Apartment Building

Osage SkyNews 6 HD was flying overhead when smoke started pouring from the 22nd floor of a downtown apartment building.

The fire department says it was likely a discarded cigarette that started the fire, prompting a response with 18 trucks and 75 firefighters, who found smoke rolling out of an apartment more than halfway up the building.

Osage SkyNews 6 HD arrived while the fire was still burning on the balconies of two apartments.

It was far too high in the building for water to reach it from the ground, so firefighters went up with hoses to connect inside.

It took about half an hour for them to get the fire out.

The building was partially evacuated, only five floors of it.

The fire burned from the balcony into two apartments - though some others have smoke and water damage.

TFD Capt. Stan May said Tulsa firefighters responded quickly to the fire.

"We had a quick notification and good response. We didn't have any interference getting up there so we were very fortunate and kept it to those two apartments," May said. 

The fire department says a cigarette was dropped into a planter on the balcony of one apartment.

They believe that set a dried out shrub on fire and it spread from there.