PARADISE VALLEY, Okla_A grass fire
threatened a few homes in Paradise Valley Estates in Northern Comanche
County.
The fire broke
out along Meers-Porter Hill Road
around 12:30 Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters managed to put the flames out in
about 15 minutes, but the fire rekindled about three hours later. Firefighters
say the five-foot flames burned almost two acres of land, spreading quickly
because of today's winds.
You could see
how close the fire came to jumping the road, not to mention, that the fire was
less than a few feet from a utility line. Luckily, the flames were not high
enough to hit the line. A resident whose house was right across the street from
the fire said the close call was a terrifying deja vu.
When Telena Cobb
heard the sirens, an all too familiar feeling came over her. It wasn't good.
"We had a
fire here about five years ago. You can still see the trees out there that had
burned. Its frightening to see flames leaping into the air and five-foot from
your propane tank."
When she got
outside, she saw the fire spreading and firefighters trying to contain it.
"The
flames being whipped by the wind, coming up across the hill and the smoke and
as usual, our wonderful volunteer fire department was all around. Spraying it
down."
Firefighters
say the fire started and quickly worked its way south behind a fence. But the
problem was the winds kept shifting and their biggest concern was that the fire
would jump Meers-Porter Hill Road.
"It was
real close to the road. It was in a field where there were no homes but just on
the other side of that road there were homes. So, our biggest concern was to
keep it contained on one side of the road," firefighter Tom Zivkovic said.
They managed to
do just that. Cobb said today's fire put her on edge, so when that last flame
was put out, all she felt then was relief.
"Thank
goodness for the firemen and their quick responses. I am very, very grateful."
Firefighters
from several surrounding departments worked together to put out today's fire.
They say last night's rain helped add some much needed moisture to the grass.
If it had been drier, the fire could have been worse.
Firefighters have not determined what caused the fire. They say it is
under investigation.
