BRISTOW — Townspeople are devastated as an historic downtown Ford dealership burned to the ground this afternoon.
The fire at Bolin Ford, a Bristow landmark on Main Street, started about 1 p.m., a police dispatcher said.
Bristow Ford Dealership. Photo provided by Lauren Lester Allison
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At 3 p.m., Lauren Allison, a local attorney and vice president of the chamber of commerce, said she could still see the smoke from her law office window.
“We are simply devastated about this loss,” Allison said. “We’re just without words, but we’re also thankful no one was hurt.”
While no employees were injured, Tulsa news outlets have reported that two firefighters were injured battling the blaze, including one taken to a hospital for observation.
Kathy Wisotsky, whose family owns the business, told the Tulsa World that employees and customers were not hurt. She said her family started the business in 1959.
Students at nearby Edison Elementary School were evacuated to the school gymnasium as a precaution, and a Christmas parade scheduled in downtown tonight was canceled due to the fire.
“We just made that decision about (2:30 p.m.)” Allison said. “It was tough, but we just didn’t think it was appropriate.”
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Wow, I'm shocked to say the least. I'm in Texas now and just now heard the news. My mom worked for Dub for many, many years and I grew up around the dealership. My favorite thing was sitting in the cars, barely able to see through the steering wheel, and drive. I'm glad no one was seriously injured. Kathy, my heart goes out to you and the family.
Right now there are probably more than a few GM, Ford and Chrysler dealers who wish their building would burn down so they could collect the insurance money and then find another way to make a living.
Very sad. My first car, a Ford Pinto, came from that dealership. Their slogan was "Rollin with Bolin." My heart goes out to the descendants of the Dub Bolin Family.
It's a shame that such a nice old building burned. To the one who wonders how it could catch fire in the middle of the day, well stuff like that happens all the time. Thankfully, nobody was seriously hurt. I live in Misssouri but have several family members in Bristow and am sad for them and their community.
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