Tulsa firefighters investigate house fire after fireworks, family left starting over

Tulsa firefighters on Monday went back to the scene of a family's home that was heavily damaged on the Fourth of July.

They said the cause is still under investigation, but say fireworks did go off before the fire started.

The family was sleeping when firefighters say a neighbor who saw the fire, rushed over to wake them up.

American flags still wave at the home near East 111th and Sheridan, where the Fourth of July will never be the same for the Burmaster family. Paris, Tyler and their three kids are starting over after losing nearly everything to the fire.

"For the year, this one's probably up there with one of the worst,” Tulsa Fire Department Captain Michael Chandler said. 

He said it's one of the worst scenes he’s been on this year, and went back Monday to debrief with his team.

"We felt it was beneficial to show up, actually do a walk-through, take a look, get our eyes on the actual structure, and see some things that maybe we were unable to see at the time,” Chandler said. “You know it's dark, we've got certain conditions that are unfavorable to us at the time."

He said on Friday night, firefighters were able to find the keys to the family's SUV and get it out of the garage before the roof collapsed.

"We were able to park it in the front yard and utilize it, actually to get some of their belongings out after the fire. Some of the clothing and some of their important documents and things like that. We were able to use it to put some of that stuff in,” Chandler said. 

Investigators are still determining the cause, but said fireworks went off both at the home and nearby.

That seemed odd to Mark Morelli, who walks through this neighborhood nearly every day.

"We really don't have a lot of fireworks from homes around here. There's a lot going on you know, Bixby and Jenks and all that, even a couple of churches that put on fireworks, you know, so we don't see a lot of people firing them off here,” Morelli said. 

He hopes the family rebuilds and is thankful to learn they all got out safely.

"Thank God for that,” Morelli said. “You can always rebuild things. You can never replace people."

A neighbor friend set up a GoFundMe for the family and says, "The Burmasters took such pride in their home. It was more than just a house — it was their haven. Paris poured love into every corner, decorating for every holiday and making everyone who walked through her door feel welcome."

Firefighters said they usually have a formal debrief after a fire, but don't always go back to the scene like they did on Monday.

They say there's always something to learn that can be applied in the future.