Firefighters From Across The Country In Oklahoma To Help With Wildfires

Firefighters are predicting this could be one of the worst fire seasons we've seen in more than a decade.

To help battle the fires, the Osage County Bureau of Indian Affairs has called on some of the nation’s most experienced wild land firefighters to lend a hand.

From North Carolina to Arizona, firefighters from all over the country are in Oklahoma to help fight the many wildfires we’ve seen.

Firefighters with the Osage Nation Bureau of Indian Affairs set a fire intentionally. They can control it using leaf blowers and other equipment.

But last week, fires weren't as tame; and with the winds blowing up to 50 miles per hour, fires spread quickly and destroyed thousands of acres of land.

Firefighter Ross Walker said, "We were shorthanded, ran thin, multiple fires, multiple resources helping at different scenes."

2/19/2016 Related Story: OK Forestry Department Anticipating High Burn Numbers Following Wildfires

Walker knows the land well. He said, with the tall grass in Osage County, fire conditions are only going to worsen.

"Fire behavior now is going to change, I promise you, within two weeks, you are going to see fire burning more intense," he said.

Walker asked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to send assistance and dozens of firefighters from across the nation answered the call, including Rod Goss from Montana.

"It's more mountainous than what we have here. Here you have a lot of grass fuel types, different types of timber," he said.

Goss travels all of the country assisting other BIA fire departments. He said fires burn much faster in Oklahoma.

"Here they have their way, even with the experience we have and we come with, you have to take a step back because this is their home.”

Osage County firefighters return the favor when needed, making it much more than just a job.

"The people that you meet, and meet along the way, and the friendships you make and sacrifices that you share, it's like one large family. We all come together and just get the job done," Goss said.

The crews are approaching their three-week mark since they've been here. They will take a few days off and then come back again for another three-week stay.