First Responders Battling Wildfires In Dry Conditions During Burn Bans

Twenty-two Oklahoma counties have issued burn bans to cut back on fires during high heat and dry conditions.

The hot weather going on multiple days in a row have been steadily drying out plants across the Green Country.

It takes only a single spark and a little wind to create massive brushfires that can engulf a fully-grown tree in the blink of an eye.

Sapulpa Fire department Battalion Chief Darren Inbody said weeks with very little moisture are creating the perfect conditions for fire.

"It just makes everything dry," he said. “If you live out in the country and you like to burn your trash in burn barrels, this isn’t the time to do it. Welding, welding right now, this is not the time to do it.”

A single fire can tear through miles of landscape and any homes or vehicles caught in the way.

Haskell County Emergency Management Director Chris Bullard said wildfires take a toll on the men and women fighting them.

"It's exhausting," he said. "It will drain you of all your energy. You're sweating so much and perspiring so much that it's hard to get enough liquid into you."

Not only did he call for the burn ban in his county, he's also one of the volunteer firefighters that fight brush fires when they crop up.

He hopes everyone considers the massive amounts of manpower it takes to put out a brush fire, before they light up.

"Even just grilling outside, and it gets away from you a garden hose is not gonna put it out. You're going to have to have help to put it out and it puts people, it puts not only the firefighters in danger but it puts people's houses and businesses in danger," he said.

More counties are expected to issue burn bans in the coming days.