At Least 10 Homes Damaged in Oklahoma Grass Fires

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Grass fires damaged at least 10 homes and burned about 1,500 acres before crews were able to control them late on July 30, authorities in north-central Oklahoma said.

Seven mobile homes and three houses were damaged in the fires in Payne County, said Stillwater Fire Marshal Trent Hawkins.

“We’re in the process of releasing a lot of departments that responded from other jurisdictions, but we still have a lot of hot spots and flare-ups that are being reported that we’re sending units out on,” Hawkins said. “At a minimum, there will probably be two Stillwater units out here all night.”

Residents living in about 50 homes that were evacuated in Payne County, just outside Stillwater, were being allowed to return home, he said.

Three firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy suffered heat exhaustion, Hawkins said. A civilian was hurt after being struck by a vehicle trying to escape the flames, but that person’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, he said.

To the west, a fire burned about 200 acres in Canadian County, west of Oklahoma City. A barn was damaged in a blaze near Calumet, but no injuries were reported or homes affected, Canadian County Commissioner Jack Stewart said.

A massive blaze that began last week in Kiowa County continued to burn on July 30, said Keli Cain, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. Oklahoma forestry crews were helping firefighters battle the fire, which has burned an estimated 28,000 acres.

Officials also were monitoring a fire in Ottawa County and remnants of a blaze that forced evacuations in Earlsboro.

Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency in all 77 Oklahoma counties due to extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

So far, 47 Oklahoma counties have declared countywide burn bans because of the drought.