TFD Puts Out South Tulsa Grass Fire Near School

A grass fire on the east side of U.S. Highway 169, north of St. Francis Hospital South, threatened an elementary school and housing addition on Friday, but it took the Tulsa Fire Department just 15 minutes to gain control of the quickly spreading flames.

By 30 minutes later, the smoky views that made drivers come to a standstill had cleared.

The fire began inching on to the school property and was nearby homes and a church.

Photos from our Osage Casino SkyCam Network showed major visibility issues for drivers as traffic came to a crawl at some points and one lane was shut down for a short period.

The flames grew rapidly, stretching about a half of a mile between 81st and 91st and getting close to Hope Worship Center, which was filled with preschoolers.

Dana Olson runs the preschool and was a few miles away when she spotted the smoke.

"We have some kids that have asthma so immediately my thoughts were they can't come outside because it would affect their lungs so what are we going to do to evacuate them safely," she said. ""I was very shocked. I thought it was a car accident at first, I wasn't expecting the fire until I got closer to the elementary school and saw the flames."

Jefferson Elementary School is right next door.

"They immediately called for extra help, and they positioned firefighters in between the fire and the school to make sure it didn't spread," TFD Capt. Stan May said.

And just 15 minutes later, the flames were out and firefighters were busy watching for hot spots.

A red flag warning is in effect for several counties in our viewing area, including Tulsa County, as strong South winds are cranking up throughout the day.

Firefighters say the high wind and dry vegetation make the perfect combination for grass fires over the next few days.

1/29/2016 Related Story: Red Flag Warning Issued For Several Eastern Oklahoma Counties