Guymon, Okla. crews respond to fire at abandoned, 2-story commercial building

GUYMON, Oklahoma — Guymon fire crews battled a major fire early Sunday at an abandoned two-story building.

At about 11:36 a.m. Sunday, Guymon firefighters responded to a 911 call in the 900 block of South May for reports of smoke coming from an abandoned building. When crews arrived, they found a large, two-story commercial building with heavy fire coming out the roof-level windows and large amounts of smoke coming from much of the rest of the building, according to a news release.

“The building was partly boarded up and firefighters had to forcibly use tools and equipment to get into the structure and fight this fire”, stated Fire Chief Grant Wadley in the release. Once inside, firefighters aggressively attacked the fire, which was located in the second-story area of the building. The main stairways were engulfed anddestroyed in flames, so firefighters had to find other means to gain access to the second floor.

It took fire crews about 30 minutes to gain control of the fire, and an additional two hours to extinguish remaining hot spots throughout the building.

The building is owned by Opportunity Inc. out of Watonga, Oklahoma, and has been vacant for many years, the release said. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Guymon Police Department and the Guymon Fire Department. Estimated damage is $100,000, with no injuries reported.

"It was alert neighbors that recognized light smoking coming from the building and calling 911 quickly that saved this building from complete fire destruction," the release noted.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Guymon, Okla. crews respond to fire at abandoned commercial building