Tagged: wildfire

BRISTOW, Okla. (AP) — A 36-year-old Bristow man has been accused of causing a wildfire that burned more than 90 square miles and destroyed hundreds of homes in Creek County.

Formal charges were filed Wednesday against Billy Cloud. The charging document accuses Cloud of third-degree arson or, in the alternative, unlawful burning. Both charges are felonies.

A probable cause affidavit n the case says the fire started on August 2nd when Cloud allegedly threw a cigarette butt into dry grass in front of the house where he lived.

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.