Firefighters Say Dry, Gusty Conditions Creating Grass Fire Dangers

Dry conditions are a recipe for grass fires and firefighters warn people to be careful about burning anything right now. 

Tulsa firefighters spent hours Sunday putting out a fire that started in a field and said even though it's early in the year, the fire danger is real.

Firefighters said the dry grass and gusty winds had a lot to do with spreading that fire.

The Tulsa Fire Department wants to warn people of the dangers of starting fires around dry or dead grass.

Firefighters said the fire near Highway 11 and East Pine was started in a large field and they said they immediately started bringing in additional help because it was so big.

"When they arrived they noticed that there were multiple spots, three in fact different places where fires had been started," Andy Little said.

They said there were no witnesses, but firefighters noticed one of the locations where the fire was started was near a homeless camp.

Their goal was to make sure the fire didn't spread to the apartments and college nearby as well as crossing over into the airport property.

"Gusty winds certainly contribute to the spread of the fire, in addition dry vegetation burns quickly and those fires do move very rapidly," Little said.

Travis Meyer described Sunday as a dry, windy day, and that is not the best combination for a fire.

He said the stronger the winds, the worse a fire can be. That's why paying attention to burn bans and red flag fire alert days is important.

"Sometimes citizens see rain in the past week, and they don't think of the dangers of that vegetation being dry. After that rain passes the vegetation is still dead, it can still catch fire," Little said.

As always, starting a fire in Tulsa limits is against the law. Firefighters ask if you see anyone starting fires, call 9-1-1.