Okmulgee - Fire investigators are back in Okmulgee, trying to find out what caused a downtown fire that destroyed two businesses and damaged five others.

It happened Monday. The fire started at a florist shop and spread quickly, destroying both the flower shop and a home health care business. Heavy smoke damage was also done to five nearby businesses. The flames were so intense, workers at businesses across the street could feel the heat.

"It was a pretty hot fire," says Keith Van Hooser. "We could feel it while we were watching it. It was pretty hot."

The fire was also tough to fight because of the extremely cold temperatures. The minute they sprayed water on the fire, it turned to ice.

"A lot of ice, slipping and sliding," says Fire Marshall Rick Chisum. "But, we had enough people here, we watched out for each other. And, as far as I know, no injuries, nothing out of the ordinary."

Chisum had high praise for the handful of nearby fire departments that came in to assist them in fighting the fire. As they try to determine the exact cause of the fire, investigators are taking a close look at the office area of the flower shop. That's where it's believed the blaze started.

The question now is what happens next for the historic area of the city? For the burned out businesses, their Christmas season is now frozen in time. City crews rushed to clean up the debris so the street can once again be opened for holiday shoppers.

The historic part of downtown Okmulgee has won several awards for preserving the old buildings. The owner of the building told firefighters he plans to rebuild. And, already town leaders are looking to see if they can get some low interest loans to help them do just that.

The fire marshall estimates the damage to the buildings at about two and a half million dollars.

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