Crews Begin Demolition Efforts Following 5-Alarm Apartment Fire

After more than 80 firefighters used at least 4.5 million gallons of water, a northwest OKC apartment complex set to open in March is being demolished following a five-alarm fire.

"That's a lot of resources," Oklahoma City Fire Department battalion chief Benny Fulkerson said. "That's over 80 firefighters and a bunch of fire equipment on scene. And so what happened, at that point, it continued to develop. It became very dangerous very quickly."

Fire crews were originally called to the fire in the 1100 block of Northwest 63rd Street around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Related: Crews Battle 5-Alarm Fire At NW Oklahoma City Apt. Building

Those on scene were initially able to attack parts of the fire from the inside. Due to the damage inside the structure, they're having to work from the outside which has been more difficult for crews to handle.

The building is known as "The Canton At Classen Curve," which is an apartment building that was in development and expected to open soon.

Fortunately, no one was inside the complex and no firefighters were hurt.

"Thankfully, something this big doesn't happen often," Fulkerson said. "We respond to a handful of calls, but very seldom does it go as far as a 5-alarm fire, so this is a large incident."

Hines, the owner and developer of the complex, released a statement in coordination with Oklahoma City-based real estate investment company Humphreys Capital late Wednesday morning.

 “We would like to thank the Oklahoma City Fire Department and other agencies for their rapid actions. We are grateful no injuries have been reported. Our general contractor, CMSWillowbrook, is responsible for the site and coordinating with local responders. We will fully cooperate with authorities during their investigation into the cause of the fire.”

Related: Team Coverage: David Payne Shows The NW OKC Fire From Space

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Related: Team Coverage: Witnesses Describe The Scene At NW OKC Apartment Fire