Warm temperatures and heavy winds produced wildfire conditions all across the state Friday and local firefighters saw plenty of action with a large grass fire west of Shawnee and another grass fire in a wooded area along Harrison Street in Shawnee.
Bethel Acres Fire Department was assisted by Pink, McLoud, Tecumseh, Shawnee, Little Axe and Norman as they all worked the scene of a large grass fire south of Hardesty Road Friday afternoon. That blaze was located in an area between Fishmarket Road and the Pottawatomie County line.
Mike Potter, emergency management volunteer, estimated about 150 acres burned in that blaze, which consumed some junk cars in a field and damaged one outbuilding.
With flames going 10-12 feet into the air, this fire, “was definitely ripping and roaring,” Potter said. There were about five or six homes threatened that firefighters protected, he said. No injuries were reported.
Pottawatomie County sheriff’s deputies blocked roadways to traffic as multiple fire trucks from each department converged on that fire.
According to scanner reports, dry vegetation was burning quickly and firefighters in grass rigs had difficulty accessing some areas of the blaze.
While the top surface of the ground was dry and vulnerable to fire, the weight of the fire rigs filled with 200 or more gallons of water was heavy weight atop the damp ground underneath, so at least three grass rigs became stuck and a dozer was called to the scene to free them.
The American Red Cross also responded to provide drinks for fire crews.
In town, Shawnee firefighters also battled a blaze Friday in the area of 35th and Harrison. That grass fire reportedly started behind a strip mall and quickly spread over an open field to devour a batch of Red Cedar trees behind the Johnson Fence Company.
That fire threatened a nearby residence and housing additions to the south and east. Employees of the fencing company helped firefighters by using the company’s Bobcats to clear debris from the fire’s path. Firefighters said cause of that fire was still undetermined Friday night.
Pottawatomie County, along with Lincoln and Seminole counties, remains under a county-issued burn ban. Residents who violate the burn ban will be guilty of a misdemeanor and could face a $500 fine, imprisonment up to one year or both.
Grass fires were a problem all over Oklahoma Friday. The National Weather Service extended a Red Flag warning Friday to 41 counties. Despite recent rains, vegetation remains parched, dormant and vulnerable to fire.
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Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.
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Warm temperatures and heavy winds produced wildfire conditions all across the state Friday and local firefighters saw plenty of action with a large grass fire west of Shawnee and another grass fire in a wooded area along Harrison Street in Shawnee.
Bethel Acres Fire Department was assisted by Pink, McLoud, Tecumseh, Shawnee, Little Axe and Norman as they all worked the scene of a large grass fire south of Hardesty Road Friday afternoon. That blaze was located in an area between Fishmarket Road and the Pottawatomie County line.
Mike Potter, emergency management volunteer, estimated about 150 acres burned in that blaze, which consumed some junk cars in a field and damaged one outbuilding.
With flames going 10-12 feet into the air, this fire, “was definitely ripping and roaring,” Potter said. There were about five or six homes threatened that firefighters protected, he said. No injuries were reported.
Pottawatomie County sheriff’s deputies blocked roadways to traffic as multiple fire trucks from each department converged on that fire.
According to scanner reports, dry vegetation was burning quickly and firefighters in grass rigs had difficulty accessing some areas of the blaze.
While the top surface of the ground was dry and vulnerable to fire, the weight of the fire rigs filled with 200 or more gallons of water was heavy weight atop the damp ground underneath, so at least three grass rigs became stuck and a dozer was called to the scene to free them.
The American Red Cross also responded to provide drinks for fire crews.
In town, Shawnee firefighters also battled a blaze Friday in the area of 35th and Harrison. That grass fire reportedly started behind a strip mall and quickly spread over an open field to devour a batch of Red Cedar trees behind the Johnson Fence Company.
That fire threatened a nearby residence and housing additions to the south and east. Employees of the fencing company helped firefighters by using the company’s Bobcats to clear debris from the fire’s path. Firefighters said cause of that fire was still undetermined Friday night.
Pottawatomie County, along with Lincoln and Seminole counties, remains under a county-issued burn ban. Residents who violate the burn ban will be guilty of a misdemeanor and could face a $500 fine, imprisonment up to one year or both.
Grass fires were a problem all over Oklahoma Friday. The National Weather Service extended a Red Flag warning Friday to 41 counties. Despite recent rains, vegetation remains parched, dormant and vulnerable to fire.
———
Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.
