ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
With gusty winds continuing throughout the High Plains, fire danger seems to be a constant presence in the region as well, and recent fires have caused damage to both property and people.
Seward County Fire District Public Information Officer Morgan West said last Thursday, county firefighters received a mutual aid request from Meade County.
West said SCFD sent a tanker and attack unit.
“These units remained in Meade County for roughly four hours,” she said. “During this time, SCFD also received a mutual aid request from Stevens County.”
West said another tanker unit was sent to Stevens County to help with tanker operations there. She added due to a wind shift, a fire burning in Meade County and Beaver County, Okla., began burning in southeast Seward County.
“All SCFD units were dispatched to the west side of the fire,” she said. “The Seward County Road and Bridge Department assisted with fire line breaks. SCFD was able to stop the forward progression of the fire. Beaver County fire units and an Oklahoma Strike Force assisted with additional fire and hot spots.”
West said units remained on scene throughout the night and were still actively on scene Thursday working to extinguish all hot spots. Due to the terrain, she said units were working in canyons to extinguish any remaining fire. As of Friday, she said all fire in Seward County was contained.
Two Guymon, Okla., firefighters are recovering from a crash that occurred Thursday afternoon while responding to reported grass fires.
Guymon Fire Chief Grant Wadley said around 4:30 p.m., a Guymon fire brush unit was responding to a large grass fire caused by lightning south of Rolla.
“The crash occurred north of Guymon on Hwy. 136 approximately six miles south of the Kansas line,” he said. “The front tire caught the right shoulder edge of the highway, overcorrected with water in the tank shifting, then rolled one and a half times, coming to rest upside down in the east ditch.”
Wadley said both firefighters were able to self-extricate and call for help, and Guymon paramedics and coworkers treated and transported the injured firefighters to Memorial Hospital of Texas County.
Wadley said the driver firefighter was treated and released with minor injuries, while the passenger firefighter was admitted in stable condition with chest and back injuries.
“Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the crash assisted by the Texas County Sheriff’s office and Texas County commissioners,” he said. “These firefighters were responding to a request for help to a fire located southeast of Rolla.”
Wadley said multiple fires were reported in southeastern Morton County as well as in Texas County, Okla.
“These fires all started by dry lightning strikes from storms passing through the area,” he said.
Wadley said firefighters and the Oklahoma Forestry Service remained on some of the fires in all three Panhandle counties.
