(Cushing, Okla) – The grass fire northeast of Cushing Thursday lasted into Friday, and continues to command the attention of the Cushing Fire Department. Fire Chief Brent Kerr told KUSH today that his department is still checking on the area every hour to make sure there are no flare ups.
The fire was reported around noon yesterday in the vicinity of Deep Rock and Schlegel Road, and jumped multiple roadways as it spread.
Kerr says there were no structures damaged in the blaze, but three firefighters from three different departments were treated for heat exhaustion. He did not name the departments. In all,
11 different departments sent personnel and equipment.
A Chinook helicopter was also employed to drop water on heavily forested areas.
Kerr says the cause of the blaze was unknown and still under investigation, but appeared to have started near a roadway.
The fire chief called upon area residents to respect the outdoor burn ban, and to be certain to extinguish cigarettes in an ashtray.
Kerr was effusive in his praise for the firefighters, saying “our guys have worked very hard, and they’re tired.”
Kerr also thanked area residents who have helped. “We’re so lucky to have OUR people, they’ve brought water, food, whatever they could to help us out, and we really appreciate the support from the community.”
Kerr also says there’s no rest in sight for the department, which was sending a truck to a fire underway in the Drumright-Shamrock area.
“We had to get the equipment back up to speed, refuel, replace some tires, some air filters and send them back out.”
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