Strong Winds Fuel Grass Fires, Burning Thousands Of Acres In Okmulgee County

Strong winds have been causing what are supposed to be controlled burns to get out of hand in Okmulgee County. One fire burned 2,400 acres while another scorched 3,000. 

"It doesn't take any wind at all to get a fire moving way beyond what you can control," emergency manager Tim Craighton said. 

Craighton said with winds this strong, it's best to avoid burning, but if you choose to, there are rules you must follow. 

"It's in law that if you are going to have a controlled burn, you are to have so much water on hand and so much personnel on hand," he said. 

When fires get out of control, it takes a lot of people and equipment to put them out. Craighton said several fire departments to responded to the fires over the weekend. He said it took nearly 60 people to put out one fire.

"It just takes more personnel and equipment than one department can handle when these fires get as big as they are," Craighton said. 

While some may think rain in the forecast may bring relief, Craighton said it doesn't necessarily mean you should start burning again. 

"As soon as the sun and the wind hit that grass, it dries out and it's burnable. People think, oh it rained I can burn, no, it doesn't work that way," he said. 

Craighton said when burning anything, you should never leave the fire unattended.