Owasso Fire Chief Believes Grass Fire Was Accidental

A fast-moving grass fire is under control after Green Country firefighters battled the strong winds Monday afternoon, trying to get in front of the flames near 106th and Mingo in Owasso.

The fire had many people nervous as it came dangerously close to homes.

It stopped just a few feet from the back door of one, but the man who lives there said it wasn't his house he was worried about.

Kelly McLaughlin wasn't home when the flames started pushing their way to his property, but he'd heard about the fire and his outside pets were all he could think about.

11/10/2014 Related Story: Firefighters Battle Brushfires In Owasso, Sand Springs

“Where they gonna go? They're in a fence. See what I'm saying? They're trapped. Where they gonna go,” McLaughlin asked.

His dogs, horses and mules survived without a scratch and seemed unfazed by their open pasture, now blackened by the aftermath of the fire.

It's a welcomed sight for their owner as well.

“It burnt the back of my place, but that's nothing,” he said.

Down the road just a bit, rancher Jerry Lewis hoped for the same outcome.

“Ya never know when you see one of these things start how quickly it can change with the wind blowing like it is now,” Lewis said.

He was at home when he realized his cattle and a couple hundred round bales of hay were close to the line of fire.

“I could see the smoke coming from over here, but when they put that helicopter in the air, well, I knew it was close to us,” Lewis said.

Owasso firefighters also took advantage of the images from Osage SkyNews 6 HD.

Owasso Fire Chief, Chris Garrett said, “We were challenged with the wind, with the fast-moving fire and some limited resources,”

Garrett said the aerial views made navigating the fire down on the ground a little easier, but gave the real credit to the firefighters for saving homes and lives.

“I think they did a great job at really protecting the structures and I think all we really lost was some grass and some woods,” he said.

Firefighters kept a close eye on the fire to make sure no hot spots rekindled, Monday.

The fire chief said he believes the fire started with a camp fire in the woods. He said he doesn't know who started the campfire, but believes it spreading was accidental, but it is under investigation.