Residents of a Tulsa apartment complex ravaged by a large fire are figuring out what’s next.
Quindon Oliver lives at Windsail Apartments near East 71st Street and South Mingo. He got out of the shower Monday night as flames ate up building 17 across from his place.
“All I heard was screaming for people telling people to get out. When I went out on the balcony all I could feel was the heat before I could even see the flame,” said Oliver. “At that point the fire department was here and the flame was blowing toward my building.”
Oliver and his pets were okay. His building didn’t catch on fire. But some of his neighbors weren’t so lucky.
Brady Drane has lived at Windsail for about two years. He was at the liquor store when his wife called him and said their building was blazing. He arrived home to see the fire “roaring like hell.”
Windsail has gotten the Dranes a new apartment.
“At a sister property, but again, that’s a week from now. I'm just couch-surfing,” said Drane.
He said Windsail is comping two days of rent and covering $80 of fees because the rent at the new apartment is more than they were paying. Whether Windsail will continue to cover the difference is unclear.
Some residents are frustrated because they can’t go inside their damaged homes. One man who didn’t want to be identified said he’d like to see if his car keys are salvageable.
In a statement, Windsail urged residents to be patient and to contact the office for information.
The Tulsa Fire Department said the cause of the fire is still under investigation. No resident injuries were reported but two firefighters sought treatment for heat-related stress.
