Investigation Into Sand Springs Appliance Store Fire Could Take Days

It’s still a mystery what caused a fire that destroyed a Sand Springs Appliance repair shop, and customers are just finding out how devastating the fire was.

The building was still smoldering Wednesday and you could actually see flames in some spots. The fire chief said it's being monitored, but it’s too dangerous for crews to be inside the rubble.

8/5/2014 Related Story: Sand Springs Appliance Shop Destroyed By Fire

Firefighters spent all night Tuesday trying to keep the flames away from the electrical substation next door.

Close to 3 a.m. crews left the Try It Again Appliances shop, but there is nothing left of the business, which leaves customers like Jerry Poulter in a bind.

"My wife calls me and said, ‘you know that place you took the dryer to? It burned down.’ I was like, ‘great, what a way to start a day,’" Poulter said.

The father of five said the Sand Springs staple made managing family chores a bit easier. He said the owner has always been honest, which is why he kept coming back.

When Poulter dropped of his dryer earlier in the day, he expected a quick repair.

“Just a dryer belt off the tumbler, but he was only going to charge me $20 plus the part to put on it. I said shoot for $20 why not? Save me from having to do it. Last time I did it, it took a couple of hours," he said.

Now he will need a couple hundred dollars to buy a used dryer; it's a setback he wasn't prepared for.

Sand Springs Fire Chief Mike Wood said his crews were at a disadvantage before they arrived, because when they got there, the roof was on fire.

"The roof by its own accord is designed to shed water so we are trying to put water on and it’s trying to reject the water and that makes it much more difficult," Wood said.

The collapsed walls made of brick only fueled the flames.

As cleanup continued, Poulter has to figure out how to dry clothes for a family of seven.

"I mean it's not a life and death situation, but still, any parent will tell you the clothes pile up. I mean just trying to figure out what to do," he said.

The fire may be out but the chief said the investigation into how it started could take several days.

There’s no word on if the business owners had insurance and if customers are covered.