Grass fire burns hundreds of acres around Payne County

Ashlynd Huffman, Stillwater NewsPress, Okla.
·2 min read

Mar. 7—For several hours, 11 fire departments battled a large wildfire near Mulhall. Guthrie Fire Chief Eric Harlow said the fire originated from a previous burn pile that "had some hot embers get stirred up Saturday with the winds."

Troy Choplin, Payne County Deputy Emergency Manager, said 750 acres have burned as of Monday from that fire.

Logan County Emergency Manager Steven Haga said many departments arrived to help extinguish the fire, and two fire task forces were also on the scene to help — one from Payne County and another from the Forestry Fire Department.

"First call came out at 4:52 p.m., and we'll probably be here all night getting hotspots," Haga said.

Choplin said by Monday, only 10% of the fire was contained.

Payne County has been in a burn ban since Jan. 10 that has been extended several times.

The county remains under a burn ban until March 21.

Saturday's wildfire sparked Logan County to put forth a burn ban until March 21, which took effect Monday.

The wildfire near Mulhall wasn't the only large fire being battled last week. On Friday evening, several Stillwater firefighters spent hours extinguishing a grass fire in the 7200 block of E. McElroy Rd. The scanner traffic indicated the fire was a "controlled burn out of control."

Violating the burn ban can result in criminal misdemeanor charges, a hefty fine, and possible jail time.

There are exceptions to the fire prohibition, but appropriate and preventive measures must be taken. The exceptions are: indoor fireplaces, commercial or professional covered cookers, welding torch down type roofing, and gas grills are permitted only with adequate protection.

Another exception is the annual Battle of Round Mountain Re-enactment in Yale.

Agricultural burning conditions

The Payne County Commissioners said agricultural burning of range and croplands are permitted only if a burn plan is on file with the fire department, a written prescribed plan with conditions stated has to be done before the burn is started. The fire department and law enforcement agency responsible for the area must be notified immediately before the burn begins.

Failure to obey the burn ban could result in filed criminal charges, a $500 fine, or imprisonment.