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Osage County/Washington County
Posted: Feb 15, 2022 6:14 PMUpdated: Feb 15, 2022 6:30 PM
Area Fire Departments Battle Outbreak of Wildfires

Wildfires break out across Washington and Osage counties on Tuesday afternoon.
According to Osage County Emergency Management Director Jerry Roberts, a grass fire between Wynona and Barnsdall was sparked by high winds and high lines slapping together. Roberts says they have been fighting the fire since noon. He says they estimate that 1,500 to 1,800 acres of pasture land have burned.
Roberts says firefighters have done an excellent job of guiding the fire around houses in the area. He says they have been successful in their mission to protect what few homes are being impacted by the blaze.
There were reports that some homes in the Barnsdall area were evacuated due to heavy smoke (pictured courtesy of our partners at News on 6).
Roberts says he anticipates that they will keep battling the fire until 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday. He says they will make sure the fire is out by the end of the night as they begin back burning. You are advised use caution and not to drive into smoke.
Video from News on 6 on the Osage County fire can be viewed below.
Washington County Emergency Management Director Kary Cox says they have battled a couple fires of their own, including one in progress in a remote area west of Ochelata just after 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Cox says the fire in the Ochelata area had spread to the north and was burning kind of southwest of Bartlesville. He says rough terrain has made it difficult on crews attempting to put out the wildfire as it was about 50-percent contained at the time.
The other fire took place just north of Washington County in Kansas. Cox says crews in Dewey, Copan and possibly Wann battled the large wildfire. He says he believes these crews are back in their stations now and the fire is under control.
The causes of the fires in the Washington County area are undetermined at this time. Cox says he believes the fire west of Ochelata may have been caused by an escaped trash/debris burn. He says it is not 100-percent certain yet.
Winds anywhere between 20 to 40 miles per hour mixed with extremely dry conditions placed most of northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas under a Red Flag Warning until 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Despite there being precipitation in the forecast, Cox says there are still fire dangers that should be considered in the next several weeks ahead. Cox says he believes what little moisture we may receive this week may not do us any good. He says the main problem is dead fuels.
Cox says the vegetation will dry out quickly with any wind and sunshine. He says we are in a volatile situation until we see this vegetation start to "green up."
Washington County Emergency Management advises that you use extreme caution with any outdoor burning. Cox says you should be careful with items that can create a spark. If you are burning trash for any reason, Cox asks that you monitor the fire at all times and have the ability to extinguish the fire if it starts to spread. He says there will be very rapid fire spread with the conditions we're seeing.
Roberts echoed this sentiment, stating that they fought fires with snow on the ground in recent weeks because conditions were so dry. Roberts asks you to watch out for one another. He asks you to give first responders a call if you see smoke because they don't mind checking things out before a fire spreads 1,200 to 1,500 acres.
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