Attic Fire Damages Several Businesses At Tulsa's Eton Square

Several Tulsa businesses were evacuated after fire sweeps through the building's attic area. It happened shortly before noon Tuesday at Eton Square near 61st and Memorial. <br/><br/>News on 6 reporter

Tuesday, December 5th 2006, 12:04 pm

By: News On 6

Several Tulsa businesses were evacuated after fire sweeps through the building's attic area. It happened shortly before noon Tuesday at Eton Square near 61st and Memorial.

News on 6 reporter Chris Wright says customers and employees had to evacuate Relax the Back, while a lunchtime crowd had to get out of neighboring Atlantic Sea Grill after fire was discovered in an attic shared by both businesses.

When employees at Relax the Back, a back therapy store, arrived at work, they smelled something burning. They just weren't sure where it was coming from. Thomas Brisco with Relax the Back: "well, I got here a little before opening and went in the back to check the normal things, and started smelling something burning whatever it was."

The burning smell quickly intensified, and smoke soon began pouring out of the back of the building. That's when employees called the fire department. Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles: "we're very fortunate that somebody smelled smoke, went ahead and decided to make that call, because those minutes really count when it comes to containing fires like this."

After everyone was evacuated, firefighters encountered heavy smoke in the attic above the Relax the Back and the Atlantic Sea Grill, but were able to contain the fire. â€œA lot of avenues for that fire to travel, and it did travel over a large portion of that attic."

The fire is still under investigation, although Relax the Back employees believe an electrical problem caused it. The attic was used to store their inventory, and they expect much of it to be damaged.

Still, since the fire was contained and no one was hurt, they say losing some massage chairs and therapeutic pillows isn't the end of the world. Trey Fillmore with Relax the Back: "No one got hurt, that's all that matters we can replace everything else."

Tulsa Fire Captain Larry Bowles says the melting snow did make stabilizing their ladders difficult, but because the parking lot is well paved, it did not keep them from getting to the building.

The fire caused more than $50,000 in damage.