CUSHING, Okla. — More than a thousand acres of charred grass and dead trees; the damage left after a wildfire raged through Cushing Tuesday afternoon.
“It was very devastating and very sad,” Edith Hart, whose family lives in Cushing, said.
Law enforcement closed roads, forcing neighbors to leave their homes. Cushing residents could only hope fire chief Dalton Novotny's crews could control the situation.
“It could have been worse. We could’ve lost lives, could’ve lost structures. It could’ve been worse,” Novotny said.
The fire left just minor damage to some structures and injured no one.
When Novotny arrived on scene, the fire was only getting bigger. He immediately called for mutual aid.
“I’m just very proud of all the fire departments that responded,” Novotny said, “They were excellent in their response and their willingness to get in there and do a tough, hard job.”
More than 25 agencies rushed to Cushing to help. Novotny says it took crews about 12 hours to get the flames under control.
Now it’s over. Cushing residents traded their fear for jubilation as they rooted for the Tigers.
“It’s a pretty tight-knit community, I would say. A lot of love in this town,” Cushing resident Carey Collier said.
Hart watched the fires burn from afar. in Tulsa. Glad to see her family, she couldn’t wait to get back to O’Dell Field.
“This is my heart. This will always be my home no matter where I am so it’s just a nice feeling,” Hart said “I don’t come back too often to Cushing, but I love it here. I wanna move back someday.”
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