South Tulsa House Fire Under Investigation

Tulsa firefighters are investigating the cause of a fire that did extensive damage to a south Tulsa home near 41st and Peoria. District Chief Dale Cooley said it appeared the home was unoccupied, though it was partly furnished.

"Any time we have a house that's unoccupied for a couple of months that catches fire, it's going to be a suspicious fire until our investigators get through," Cooley said.

Neighbors called in the fire at about 9:30 p.m.

Cooley said his firefighters made an interior attack until conditions became too dangerous.

"There's a point where the fire, the smoke and the heat conditions are still building, and crews are not able to make access to the origin of the fire," he said.

Firefighters pulled out of the home and made a defensive attack with water from a ladder pipe.

The roof of the house and second floor were badly damaged by fire while the first floor of the home had water damage, according to Cooley.

Crews were trying to salvage what furniture they could and looking for hidden fires inside the home late Saturday night. Cooley said they called in extra men to rotate in due to the cold temperatures.

"It's cold, and they're wet," the chief said, "We're ready to finish it up."

Investigators had not yet located the homeowners late Saturday.