Car Lot Catches Fire

The search is on for an arsonist believed responsible for a fire in midtown Tulsa. Two buildings at a car dealership burned early Wednesday morning. Investigators say the blaze was deliberately set.

Wednesday, October 24th 2007, 8:03 am

By: News On 6

The search is on for an arsonist believed responsible for a fire in midtown Tulsa. Two buildings at a car dealership burned early Wednesday morning. Investigators say the blaze was deliberately set. The News On 6â€™s Chris Wright reports that investigators think since the buildings sit 50 feet apart and thereâ€™s no evidence that the fire jumped from one to the other arson seems the apparent cause.

When fire crews arrived at the First Tulsa Auto Outlet shortly before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, two structures were already fully engulfed. The fire was so intense; the Tulsa Fire Department had to shut down Sheridan Road while battling the blaze.

After it was finally contained, officials immediately began asking questions.

"So, we had two buildings in one location on fire. So, it immediately raised some red flags as to what might be going on,â€ said Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles.

Captain Bowles says that if this had been an accidental or electrical fire, something between the two structures would have burned.

"When you look back at any electrical involvement or migration of the fire from the first to the second, we just did not find that,â€ added Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles.

Dealership employees, who spent the afternoon boarding up the burned buildings, agree. They say the fire is the culmination of a month-long vandalism spree.

Employees say the arson isn't the only trouble they've had recently. They say they've been visited by vandals five or six times in the past few weeks alone, who have stolen cars, and even broken windows.

"Certainly someone has had an eye on this facility for some time. He may have something against this,â€ said Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles.

The dealership's owner suffered a mild case of smoke inhalation. Anyone with information about the fire is urged to call the Arson Hotline. That number is 596-ARSN.

Watch the video: Arson Suspected In Car Lot Fire

WEB EXTRA: Fire Damages Car Lot