Oklahoma Meth Lab Fire Remains Under Investigation

March 26, 2009 – Tulsa, Oklahoma, fire investigators believe a apartment fire earlier this month was caused by a meth lab explosion. Because the fire burned so quickly, investigators are also looking into whether the Royal Arms Apartments’ firewall was properly installed.

Tulsa Local 176 President Stanley May was not on the call, but says, “I am proud of the response of the 65 fire fighters called to the scene. They faced some unusually intense conditions on this fire, but were still able to put it out quickly and save lives.”

A call reporting the fire came in at 4:00 a.m. At the same time, a woman trapped in one of four burning apartments was on the phone with dispatch personnel.

One of the first responding Local 176 fire fighters, Chad Meyer, says, “Even before we got there, we could see a large glow. We knew we would be dealing with a large, fully involved fire.”

Fire fighters were immediately met with a challenge. The roads closest to the apartments were too narrow for fire apparatus to navigate, so they had to park further away and pull hose to the scene. In addition, the stairway leading to the trapped victim was inaccessible because of the blaze’s intensity. That fire had to be put out before fire fighters could reach the trapped woman.

Meyer says that the woman was lucky to be on the phone, getting advice from a 17-year veteran dispatcher. “The dispatcher told her to close her bedroom door and cover herself with a blanket,” he says. “Once we saw how involved the apartments were, it is truly a miracle that she was able to survive.”

The intense heat from the fire had burned off the numbers on apartment doors, but fortunately, fire fighters chose the right apartment. Meyer and another fire fighter, Jason Dobson, went inside and found the woman unconscious on the floor. She remains in intensive care. Three others were burned in the fire, one of whom later died of his injuries.

“This fire was very intense,” says Meyer. “We could not have done it without each of the 65 responding fire fighters.”

In all, eight apartments were destroyed. Meyer says that Tulsa has responded to 10 other meth lab-related fires since the beginning of the year. Tulsa law enforcement officials say the type of meth being cooked is discrete, dangerous and highly flammable.