Clean up at vacant SE Oklahoma City motel to begin following fires
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The former Rodeway Inn is now a massive pile of rubble.
"It was just blazing red fire and black smoke,” said Estoria Doakes. “It was really scary."
The vacant motel at I-35 and SE 66th caught on fire Sunday morning. Doakes saw it as she was heading home from work and called 911.
“You just see people running up and down the stairs in despair,” said Doakes. “So, it was kind of heartbreaking."
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
24 hours later smoke could still be seen coming from the debris. The motel was increasingly becoming a hazard. The City of Oklahoma City declared it dilapidated earlier this month.
According to John Chenoweth with the Oklahoma City Fire Department, fire crews were called to the motel eight times since May.
"When the building was up, it was very unsafe for both our firefighters and anyone that's inside the building as well,” said Chenoweth.
Fire crews spent Monday putting out hotspots.
"To make sure nothing flares up into a bigger fire,” said Chenoweth.
A spokeswoman for the City of Oklahoma City told KFOR the property owner has two weeks to remove the rubble completely or provide “an aggressive” rubble removal plan.
If that doesn’t happen, the city will send contractors to check the rubble for asbestos and start its clean up process.
A lien would then be put on the property for the cost of the clean up.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.