OKCFD Rules Canton Apartment Fire An Accident, Developers Move Forward With Rebuilding Process

A five-alarm fire burned down the multi-story Canton Apartment building. Now months later, the Oklahoma City Fire Department releases the findings of its investigation. 

After multiple interviews and surveillance video analyses OKCFD ruled the fire an accident. With the conclusion of the investigation, developers are now one step closer to rebuilding the apartments. 

“It is called the Canton and there is a bunch of black smoke coming out of the building,” said the 911 caller the night of the fire on February 8, 2022. 

“It got everybody’s attention very quickly,” said Capt. Scott Douglas, with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. 

In the incident report the Fire Department declared the Canton Apartment Fire the largest known Commercial Fire in the History of Oklahoma City following a 4-month investigation. 

“It’s the only high-rise fire I’ve been a part of since I’ve been with Oklahoma City, yes,” said Lt. Matt Gibson, with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. 

Investigators said, “there were multiple origins far from one another” and on “opposite sides of the fire wall” which made it difficult to contain. 

They also said the Canton Apartment Complex "was compliant with all applicable fire codes for that phase of the construction process.” 

“Very seldom does it go as far as a 5-alarm fire, so this is a large incident even by our standards,” said Benny Fulkerson, a Battalion Chief with the Oklahoma City Fire Department. 

While it was ruled an accident the official cause was an “unintended electrical pathway.” 

“I’ve been on the job a little over 14 years now, I’ve never seen a structure fire this big so it’s definitely a rare occasion,” said Douglas. 

The Canton Apartment Developers, Humphreys Capital, send out a statement thanking firefighters for their quick response. 

"This appears to be an accident caused by a bad utility connection inside an OG&E transformer,” said Blair Humphreys, the CEO of Humphreys Capital. 

OG&E sent a statement saying, “The full investigation into this incident is not complete. It is OG&E’s practice and policy to not provide comment on ongoing investigations.” 

The developers are now moving forward with the insurance claims process. They are looking forward to cleaning up this site and evaluating their options for their new location.