OKC's newest fire station opens nearly two decades after bond approved

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - City and fire officials celebrated the grand opening of Oklahoma City's newest fire station on the city's far southwest side.

Fire Station 38 now stands near SW 59th and Cimarron Rd.

Up until now, the Oklahoma City Fire Department has been relying on surrounding cities to help service families in the area.

Fire Station 38 has been 16 years in the making. Its construction was funded by a bond project passed back in 2007.

According to OKC Mayor David Holt, the delay was due, in part, to population size.

"Sometimes because of choices that were made in the '50s and '60s to annex 620 square miles, it takes us a little while to get services out to people, we have to kind of wait for them to move there first," said Mayor Holt. "As this area has grown, we are responding...We certainly have a commitment to making sure we bring these services to all of our residents."

Station 38 is now open with state-of-the-art equipment and staffs nearly two dozen firefighters.