Goodwell house fire kills Guymon firefighter and EMT Steven Coen

Steven Coen’s death cut across multiple Texas County institutions at once: he was a Goodwell resident, a longtime member of the Guymon Fire Department and an active EMT whose work also helped cover Hooker when local crews needed time off. The 49-year-old was killed in a house fire at 323 Aggie Avenue in Goodwell, leaving neighbors, firefighters and emergency medical crews mourning one of their own.

Firefighters from Goodwell, Guymon and Texhoma were dispatched about 5:15 a.m. Friday, May 1, after a 911 call reported a structure fire. When crews arrived, heavy smoke and flames were pushing out of the front door and windows, a sign of how fast the fire had grown before first responders reached the scene.

Goodwell firefighters entered through a bedroom window and pulled Coen, the only person inside the home, from the burning structure. Guymon paramedics immediately started life-saving treatment before transporting him to Memorial Hospital of Texas County in Guymon, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities identified the victim as Steven Coen, also listed in other reports as Steven Ray Coen, born Feb. 22, 1977. The cause of the fire remained under investigation by the Oklahoma Fire Marshal Office, the Oklahoma Medical Examiner, the Goodwell Police Department and the Goodwell Fire Department.

Coen’s death struck especially hard because of how deeply he was woven into the local public-safety network. Guymon Fire Chief Grant Wadley called the loss “a huge loss” for the department, the community and the area. The department said Coen had served as an active EMT on its EMS division for about 10 years.

That service mattered well beyond routine shifts. Coen was scheduled to work EMS detail at the Pioneer Days Rodeo that weekend, during one of the biggest stretches on Guymon’s calendar. The week-long Pioneer Days celebration draws the city-wide parade, carnival, 5K run and walk, rodeo queen crowning, mercantile events, trail riders, golf tournament and the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo, all of which place extra demands on local emergency crews.

Memorial Hospital of Texas County, a county-owned, non-profit Critical Access Hospital, serves Texas County and surrounding counties in the Oklahoma Panhandle as a 25-bed level IV facility. For a county that relies on mutual aid between Goodwell, Guymon, Texhoma and nearby towns, Coen’s death leaves both a personal and operational gap that will be felt long after the smoke clears.