Gas Tank Fire Burns Okla. Repair Shop, Hurts 1

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Nov. 17--WOODWARD, Okla. -- One person was taken to the hospital with injuries sustained in a fire that broke out at an automotive repair shop in Woodward Tuesday.

"Somebody was taken to the hospital with facial burns and smoke inhalation," said Woodward Assistant Fire Chief Todd Finley.

However, Finley said he didn't have any information about the person's identity or condition because EMS officials were already transporting the person to the hospital when he arrived on scene.

Shop owner Del Rittenhouse told The News that he also sustained some burns to his hands as he initially tried to put the fire out. Rittenhouse said he and a third shop employee also suffered from smoke inhalation, as well. He said there were only 3 employees working at the time of the fire.

The fire erupted at Del's Automotive in the 1200 block of 26th St. late Wednesday morning.

Finley said shop workers informed firefighters that they had been working on a Dodge Durango that was up on a hydraulic lift when the SUV's gas tank fell onto a drop light, causing a flash fire, which then caught the vehicle on fire.

"Everything that we saw at the scene fits with that; everything indicated that this was definitely a gasoline fire, a flammable liquid fire," the assistant fire chief said.

Although the fire was mostly contained to the north garage bay where the SUV was located, Finley said "there was heavy smoke damage throughout the whole building," which also housed a storage area in addition to the automotive business.

He said the cost of fire damages "could reach up into a quarter of a million dollars."

In addition to the Dodge Durango, which "was pretty much burned up," there was also a late-model Corvette in the north garage bay that also sustained significant damage, Finley said.

He noted that he observed another 2 to 3 vehicles inside a second garage bay and "a couple of vintage cars" inside the storage area, all of which also sustained at least some smoke damage.

Although the damage was extensive, Finley said firefighters were fortunate that the fire had not fully engulfed the entire building.

"Flammable liquid fires can spread so quickly," he said.

When firefighters first arrived on scene they were concerned about the spread of the fire after noticing thick, black smoke coming from all parts of the building.

"There were so many flammable things in that building, we were afraid it spread everywhere," Finley said. "That's why we called everyone out."

The assistant fire chief noted "we had a great turnout from our volunteers and other surrounding departments. We really appreciate working with the other towns and were glad they came to help cover the station while we worked this fire. Both Mooreland and Sharon sent guys and equipment and were ready to help if needed."

However, he said thanks to some quick thinking by some of the first firefighters on scene, they were able to quickly contain the fire and get it under control.

"From the aspect of going in as a firefighter, these guys did a great job. Because when you go into a fire, you expect the fire to be on the ground, not on a vehicle on a lift up in the air," he said.

But the Woodward firefighters used the special equipment they had on hand and quickly adapted to effectively fight this unique fire, the assistant fire chief said.

"Because it was elevated like that it was a challenge because you can't see where the fire is at through all the thick smoke. That's where the thermal imaging camera comes in handy, because it allowed them to see this hot vehicle up on the lift, so they could shift gears to attack the fire," he said.