Wildfires continue to burn statewide

Wednesday, January 18th 2006, 2:46 pm

By: News On 6

Wildfires continue to burn in parts of Oklahoma and that's keeping firefighters busy. About a hundred acres north of Sand Springs burned on Wednesday. The smoke could be seen for miles.

National Guard helicopters took water from nearby ponds and fought the fire from the air, as crews from at least five different departments gathered on the ground. It took more than two hours to contain the fire.

Firefighters say their job isn't over because the wind continues to be their enemy. Homeowner Grant Martin: â€œterrible, terrible. The worst I've seen and I've been here for 15 years." No homes were destroyed in the fire.

Despite a statewide burn ban, some Oklahomans are still breaking the law. That was the case near Kiefer in Creek County on Wednesday.

A man using a charcoal grill sparked a fire that burned several acres. Quick work by firefighters kept damage to a minimum. The man who started the fire was ticketed and is liable for any damage.

Firefighters also had their hands full in Garvin County. In the town of Paoli, National Guard helicopters and air tankers were sent to douse a fire. Two buildings burned, one was a house. No one was hurt.

Another fire near Ardmore burned more than 800 acres. At least one building was destroyed, and the smoke caused police to shut down I-35 for about two hours.