The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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April 9, 2009

Cleo firefighters still battling fire

By Kasey Fowler and Cass Rains, Staff Writers

Cleo Springs Fire Depart-ment was fighting a fire again Thursday afternoon and evening.

Cleo Springs Fire Chief Allen Cox said the fire has flared up almost every day since it started 11 days ago.

“It has flared up 10 out of 11 days. It has probably burned about five miles long and three and half to four miles wide,” he said.

Cox said winds and dry weather are to blame for the continued problems.

“Wind and dry weather causes it to flare up. We have had four directions of winds today. It has been terrible winds,” Cox said Thursday.

The fire department has been able to keep the fire from almost all structures and buildings.

“We had one double-wide home have the siding burned off and one pickup have the windows blow out. We have saved everything else,” he said.

There have been reports the fire started on land owned by Enid City Manager Eric Benson, but Cox said the fire on Benson’s property was a controlled burn.

“The original controlled burn started there. Where it spread from there, I could not say,” he said.

Benson said he conducted the controlled burn March 29, while snow still was on the ground, with permission from and under the supervision of Cleo Springs Fire Depart-ment.

“We’ve been out there every single day and every single night tending the fire line,” Benson said.

Benson said the controlled burn was conducted in an area of pasture land and cedar.

Although Benson said he was not in a position to refute anything, he said he did not believe the other fires were caused by his nearly two weeks of controlled burn.

“It was burning well east of our fire line,” Benson said. “We’ve been out there every single day. We’ve made every conceivable effort to manage it.”

Benson said the work of the Cleo Springs Fire Department and other responding fire departments is commendable.

“We are exceedingly proud of the Cleo Springs Fire Department and all of the other units that responded, he said. “It was great display of the teamwork, extraordinary professionalism and dedication.”

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