Update: Fatal apartment fire claims 14 year old

Updated on Tuesday, December 4 — Victims of the fire can go to LOU’s, located at 624 W. Warner, for clothing items. The outreach program is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Updated on Tuesday, December 4 — The Logan County Long Term Recovery Group will be accepting monetary donations for fire victims. You can donate by going to Interbank and make the donation for “Woodpark Apartments.” Interbank is located at 224 E. Oklahoma Ave.

At approximately 10:53 p.m., Guthrie firefighters responded to a reported apartment fire at 1809 E. College Ave. on the northeast side of Guthrie. Crews arrived to find a two-story apartment building with heavy fire involvement on the second floor. 

Guthrie Police Department officers arrived within two minutes of the initial call and began to evacuate residents from their apartments. They encountered a family in a second floor apartment on the southeast corner of the building, assisting a 40-year-old female and 18-year-old female from the second story window. The family reported that there was still a 14-year-old boy in the apartment. Fire crews made entry into the building in a rescue attempt but were forced back out of the building due to extreme fire and ceiling collapse.

Crews were able to get the fire under control at approximately 12:30 a.m., with crews remaining on scene throughout the night to completely extinguish any hot spots and conduct a preliminary investigation. They were assisted by Coyle Fire Department, Sooner Fire Department, LifeNet EMS and EMSA.  The Oklahoma State Fire Marshals Office and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms were requested for assistance and the investigation was subsequently turned over to them. There is no other information at this time as to the cause of the fire.

The body of 14-year-old Saul Bernal was located by fire crews at approximately 1:30 a.m. in his family’s second floor apartment. His body was transported to the medical examiner in Oklahoma City. The two females evacuated from the upstairs apartment were transported to Mercy Hospital Logan County and later transferred to Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City to be treated for smoke inhalation. There were three other females who was examined at the scene for a smoke inhalation and cuts but none were transported.

One firefighter was taken to Mercy Hospital Logan County after falling through the floor of a second story apartment. He was treated and released for minor bumps and bruises. Another firefighter reported a knee injury on the scene but was not transported.

Saul Bernal was an 8th grade student at Guthrie Junior High School.

Upon notification of the tragedy, Guthrie Public School administrators arranged for counselors from around the district to be available for Junior High students this morning. Local counseling agencies were also contacted to provide additional support for students and faculty. This assistance will continue as needed.

“Obviously, our heart goes out to Saul’s family as well the other families affected by this tragedy,” Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson said in a release. “The loss of young people is possibly one of the saddest parts of life and this is a very sad day in Guthrie. We will continue to offer assistance to our students and staff as they cope with this tragedy.”