‘May catch fire tomorrow’: More problems at Penn Station Apartments after fatal fire
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The fallout continues from a deadly October fire at the Penn Station Apartments in northwest Oklahoma City.
The blaze at Penn Station Apartments near North Penn and Northwest 122nd Street on Oct. 20 left two people dead and many more without homes.
In the weeks after two people were killed in that fire, KFOR reported on a series of fire code violations at the complex.
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After seeing that coverage, another woman who lives at the complex contacted the station, saying she’s afraid the apartment she shares with her young son could also go up in flames.
Just this week, it nearly did – after a small electrical fire sparked in her apartment from a single outlet.
“I go to my bedroom and there are flames coming out of the socket,” she said Wednesday in an interview with KFOR.
The woman said she immediately called 9-1-1 and the fire department was able to assist.
While she had four smoke detectors in her home – the department told her none of them were working.
“[The firefighter said] this building would have went up [in flames] in seconds. That would have been no notification for my neighbors,” she said, adding that her maintenance request did not solve the problem.
“They just put a faceplate over it [and] it’s like putting lipstick on a pig,” she said.
The woman called the City of Oklahoma City for help and they sent out an inspector.
The station obtained an October fire marshal’s inspection report after the fire that shows the complex passed a general inspection.
However, the city inspection from November 14 showed a violation – for spotty electricity, loose wires and out of date smoke detectors:
“The city forced them to get a certified electrician to come out and do electrical work in my apartment. And he couldn’t finish today. It was so much work,” she continued.
CAF Management did not meet the station’s requested deadline for information Wednesday evening, but in a prior statement to KFOR a representative said there were no fire related incidents under their management prior to the October fire:
Since our involvement, our last annual inspection in February 2023 was completed with no corrections needed. Furthermore, we have not had any fire-related incidents at the property while under our management prior to October 20th.
CAF Management to KFOR on November 1, 2023
Even with repairs, the woman said she has little reassurance that the apartment is safe.
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“I talked to the assistant manager about my concerns … She was like, ‘I’m very sorry this happened [and] for your inconvenience’,” the woman explained.
“I said, ‘Well, how do I know this will happen again? She said, You don’t know. I don’t know’,” she said.
“It was her exact words. She was like, ‘Very well may catch fire tomorrow’.”
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