VERDIGRIS, Okla. — Ten acres of charred grass and some small structures burned due to a Mar 18 fire in Rogers County.
When Gary Winthorpe called 911, he feared the worst.
“I was out checking horses, and I come by and I seen it just right through the treeline, I ended up calling it in,” Winthorpe said.
Oklahoma’s fire danger remained high through March 18; keeping Oklahoma's firefighters on pins and needles.
“On these days, that are red flag warning days, it gets a heavy response package,” Verdigris Fire Chief Mike Shaffer said, “Regardless of the type of fire that it is, it has the eventuality of becoming a wildland fire,” due to the high fire conditions.
Chief Shaffer says a mixture of luck and manpower kept this fire at bay.
“It came pretty quick,” Winthorpe said, “They answered quick so there was a lot of them.”
Shaffer said Rolling Hills,Oak Grove, Claremore, Owasso, and Tiawah firefighters all assisted in the fight.
Crews got the call around 2:30 p.m. By 4:30 p.m., firefighters extinguished the blaze.
Claiming only some grass and sheds. Sparing lives.
“I moved our horses out of the field closest to it,” Winthorpe said.
“You go expecting the worst, but hoping for the best,” Shaffer said.
This time, firefighters got ‘the best,’ but remain vigilant for the worst.
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