PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — Firefighters have brought a large grass fire that burned some abandoned homes and outbuildings under control in Pawnee County.
Pawnee Fire dispatcher Joe Allenbaugh says no injuries were reported in Friday's blaze, which he estimated to be about 1.5 miles wide and 5 miles to 6 miles long. Allenbaugh says winds of 25 miles per hour to 35 miles per hour caused the blaze to spread, but light rain that followed helped firefighters contain the flames.
He says power poles also burned, causing outages for some residents.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed State Highway 15 for a time because of the blaze.
The winds increase as a storm system approached the state.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed State Highway 15 for a time because of the fire, which spread smoke into central Oklahoma.