The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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February 4, 2009

Smoke closes 74

By Kasey Fowler, Staff Writer

Seven small spot fires broke out along Oklahoma 74 about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, forcing Oklahoma Highway Patrol to close the road for about an hour because of smoke.

Joel Eggers, Fairmont Fire Department chief, said the fires did not damage any structures.

“No structures were damaged. Mostly it was rights of way that burned into some pasture lands. Only some fences were damaged,” he said.

People need to be careful due to the dry conditions right now.

“I tell people we have to be really careful. This time of year the grass is so dry and this isn’t going to stop until the grass greens up in the spring,” Eggers said. “It is so dry out there right now.”

Firefighters from Covington and Fairmont on the scene suspected the fire was started accidentally by a truck driving along the highway.

Currently, 42 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are under county-declared burn bans, including Woods, Wood-ward, Alfalfa, Grant and Kingfisher counties.

According to National Weather Service, a fire weather watch is in effect through this afternoon for Major, Woodward, Woods, Roger Mills, Dewey, Harper and Ellis counties because of the dry conditions, high temperatures and strong southwest wind gusting to 30 mph.

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