‘Devastating’ fire at First Baptist Church Thrift Store in Oakdale controlled

OAKDALE, La. (KPLC) - Firefighters battled a large fire that began at a vacant restaurant and spread to the First Baptists Church Thrift Store in Oakdale Thursday evening.

Viewers reported that multiple departments from surrounding communities helped extinguish the fire at the shopping center off Hwy 165. Residents of the area said heat from the fire could be felt from the highway.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire though several firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.

The City of Oakdale stated in a Facebook post Thursday night, “The fire in our community today was devastating but we are thankful that it is now controlled and no one was harmed. A huge ‘thank you’ to our local and surrounding fire departments, police, first responders and citizens who responded so quickly and helped our city today.”

KPLC has reached out to the Oakdale fire chief and law enforcement, but we have not received a response. We will update this story when more information is available.

Copyright 2022 KPLC. All rights reserved.