Firefighters say blaze is ‘suspicious’

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Staff photo by D.E. Smoot Cliff Walker, a firefighter with the Brushy Mountain Fire Department, douses hot spots Wednesday along South 55th Street East just south of Spaniard Creek where a wildfire burned much of the afternoon.

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August 2, 2012

Firefighters say blaze is ‘suspicious’

Official: Drought, heat keep fire risk high

By D.E. Smoot Phoenix Staff Writer The Muskogee Phoenix Thu Aug 02, 2012, 12:10 AM CDT

— Firefighters from at least three county departments battled the afternoon heat and a wildfire Wednesday in southeast Muskogee County.

Crews arrived shortly after noon and spent much of the afternoon trying to keep the blaze from spreading through a heavily wooded area.

The wildfire was located east of Keefeton along South 55th Street East. Nearby Spaniard Creek acted as a buffer, keeping the flames from spreading to the north and east. But hot spots flared up in the trees throughout the afternoon.

Sheila Dause, deputy director of Muskogee County Emergency Management Office, said a bulldozer was brought in to isolate the fire from its fuel. Firefighters contained the blaze to property owned by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Spaniard Creek blaze posed no threat to structures.

“I would say this is suspicious because nobody lives out here,” said Maj. Rusty Dornan of the Keefeton Fire Department. “This is all corps land out here.”

Dornan, noting the absence of any activity conducive to starting a fire, said the point of ignition or its source were unknown by mid-afternoon.

Firefighters from the Keefeton, Warner and Brushy Mountain departments responded to the Spaniard Creek wildfire, which scorched about 35 acres.

A second blaze was reported later in the afternoon south of Davis Field Road near South 24th Street West. Dause said the second blaze was described by Brushy Mountain firefighters as “a trash fire.”

Muskogee County remains under a burn ban, which is scheduled to expire next week. Muskogee County Emergency Management Director Jeff Smith said he plans to ask for an extension when county commissioners meet Monday.

“Even if we get any rain this weekend, it won’t be enough to help with this drought,” Smith said. “We plan on asking for an extension with the same exemptions we have in place now.”

As of Wednesday, 53 of the state’s 77 counties were under a burn ban as a result of moderate to extreme drought conditions. The National Weather Service in Tulsa predicts a slight chance of rain beginning Saturday night with a slight reprieve from the heat Sunday.

Reach D.E. Smoot at (918) 684-2901 or dsmoot@muskogeephoenix.com.