[Photograph 2012.201.OVZ001.5991]

Photograph used for a story in the Oklahoma City Times newspaper. Caption: "A two-alarm fire - which firmen believe smoldering for hours before breaking into flames - caused thousands of dollars in damage early Tuesday to several downtown Oklahoma City business houses. Seat of the blaze was the Sooner Inn, a restaurant located at 203 NW 2. But before fire-fighters could get the flames extinguished, damage had spread to three other firms. Networks of hose laid down by 15 pieces of equipment called to the scene caused a traffic jam. Hundred of motorists were as much as an hour late for work, as police worked at eight key intersection to relieve the congestion. Fire inspector J. C. Brooks said it was way too early to get an actual damage figure, but unoffical estimates ran as high as $200,000. Second Alarm Rung Bon-chilling 26-degree temperatures hampered the fire fighting efforts amd slowed traffic to a snail's pace, as streams of water gushed down from the second story of the striken structur - ran down gutters, and froze as it reached the traffic lanes. The first alarm on the blaze flashed at Central Station at 6:52 am.m and the second followed closely at 7 a.m...Smoke dammage was heavy at the House of Wrem, 207 NW 2. Water and smoke damage caused estimated thousands of dollar loss at the Walker Stamp Co., next door to the Sooner Inn......At 8:05 a.m. firemen believed they has extinguished the last vestiges of the fire. They chased the will-o-the-wasp flames through the ceiling of the Sooner Inn upstairs to the Uptown Hotel, which was vacant, and then to the stairwell located between the two buildings...Most of the business section below NW 2 and Robinson was saved from the stifling fog by a strong south breeze which whipped between the buildings. At 7:41 a.m., firemen called for additional hoses to the second story of the structure, when it appeared that the flames might break through to abandoned rooms of the Uptown Hotel...Inspector Brock said the exact cause of the fire couldn't be determined until the ruins of the restaurant cold be probed by experienced investigators. Late For Work motorists jammed the intersection at NW 3 and Robinson (above) early Tuesday as fire equipment rushed to the scene of a two-alarm blaze, one block south. Traffic was rerouted through the business district, while equipment such as big ladder trucks (below) were being maneuvered into position to fight the blaze. Damages are unoffically estimated at nearly $200,000.