Stubborn Turley Hill Wildfire Flares Up Again

Fire departments from Turley and Sperry have been busy on Saturday working to put out a stubborn wildfire in a rural area north of Tulsa.

The fire started Thursday on Turley Hill, and the two departments have fighting it ever since.  

Saturday, fire officials requested mutual aid after the fire flared up after a wind shift. They said firefighters from 10 different agencies have been working for three straight days with little sleep and are exhausted.

One firefighter was injured and transported to a hospital.

The area is near 66th Street North and Peoria. Authorities have closed Cincinnati Avenue to allow the fire to burn to the road.

Officials say there have been no evacuations, but they are asking drivers to avoid the area, because of all the firefighting equipment and volunteers working to put out the fire.

The initial fire started at the top of the hill, but today, the captain said it dropped down to a lower ridge. the terrain still is rough to maneuver. The many crews in the rougher areas are having to get in with rakes and shovels.

So far about 300 acres have burned. No houses have been damaged, but the fire crept onto some lawns, and a couple of cars on an abandoned lot caught fire.

Fire Capt. David Morgan says they expect to be out there all night.