Tulsa State Senator Injured in House Fire

Friday, February 11th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Fire engulfed the home of a longtime Tulsa lawmaker early Friday morning, forcing her to jump from a second story window to safety. Firefighters were called to mid-town home of State Senator Penny Williams around 3:00AM.

Investigators say the fire appears to have started in an apartment over the garage and quickly spread to other parts of the house. "She was very fortunate that she was able to get out,â€ said district fire chief Eddie Bell. â€œShe was asleep in her bedroom on the second floor. She was awakened by some type of sound outside her house and realized there was smoke inside the structure."

Williams was taken to St. John Medical Center with three broken ribs and a smashed heel that resulted from her jump to safety. She also suffered burns on one arm. No one else was injured. Williams issued a brief statement Friday afternoon thanking well-wishers for expressing their concern.

Early reports from the fire department said there were no working smoke detectors in the house. However, Friday afternoon, a fire department spokesman said he could not confirm the previous report. Firefighters have estimated the damage to the house will run more than $200,000. The cause of the fire has not been determined.