Man Burned In Creek County Mobile Home Fire

A man was severely burned escaping from a rural Creek County home late Thursday. The fire occurred in a home about a mile west of state Highway 33 on 151st Street South.

The owner, Bob Simon, said he awoke to the fire just before 11 p.m.

There's nothing left of Simon's home in Creek County. With everything he's lost, he's more worried about a friend severely injured in the fire.

He didn't want to go on camera, but Simon said he woke up to his home engulfed in flames.

"It's something that's really hard to take," said Chief Bob Grant, Bristow Fire Department. Grant is Bristow's Fire Chief. "They had a matter of seconds to get out of the house."

A friend who lived with him, 59-year-old Leon Graham, didn't make it out as quickly. 

"He got disoriented because of the smoke, and fortunately Mr. Simon stayed at the door and kept hollering at him until he got to the door, but he was very badly burned," Chief Grant said.

The two men went to a neighbor down the road to call for help. By the time firefighters got there the house was lost. Graham was flown to a hospital with severe burns to his face and upper body.

The victim was living with Simon because the home he shared with his parents was damaged in an electrical fire a few months ago. The state fire marshal's office will determine the cause of the more recent fire.

"This is pretty obvious that it's not suspicious," said Bristow Fire Chief Bob Grant.

Chief Grant says the fire reinforces how important it is to get out of a burning home as quickly as you can. And the need to have working smoke detectors for an early warning, since there is so little time to get out. 

"Seconds, most of the time it's just seconds," Grant said.

The home is considered a total loss. Simon ran outside with one of his two dogs.

His other dog was not found.