Nearly 35 years ago, a contract welder dropped his torch in a jet maintenance facility at Tinker Air Force Base, sparking one of the largest fires in Air Force history. The fire became a case study for fire prevention processes and building codes for the Air Force. Garry Souders was the chief of safety at the base in 1984. He came to the StoryCorps Mobile Booth in Oklahoma City to tell his son John about that eerie day.

This story was produced for KOSU by Rachel Hubbard and Dustin Drew, with interviews recorded at the StoryCorps mobile booth in Oklahoma City in early 2018. Locally recorded stories air Wednesdays during Morning Edition and All Things Considered on KOSU.

Thank you to Phillips Murrah law firm for sponsoring StoryCorps' visit to Oklahoma City.