BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Tulsa, Rogers, and Wagoner counties are under a burn ban due to strong winds and dry conditions, which raise the risk of fast-moving grass fires across the region.
With winds picking up across Green Country, fire departments are staffing up and urging residents to take steps now to protect their homes from wildfire.
Broken Arrow Battalion Chief Rusty Stringer said a Red Flag Warning signals the most dangerous fire weather conditions.
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"A Red Flag Warning… means extremely dry conditions, high winds, low humidity, what we call critical fire weather," Stringer said.
Stringer said crews are ready for any spark that could quickly spread.
"Call in extra personnel to staff up our trucks to better serve the citizens of Broken Arrow," Stringer said.
Engines and brush trucks are prepared, but fire officials say prevention starts at home.
Tulsa Fire's Andy Little said families should create defensible space around their properties.
"So basically that means removing flammable things from around your home, and they say like 30 to 100 ft from your home, but if you have dry tree branches, if you have shrubs that are no longer alive, anything that's dry and could catch fire, you need to remove those," Little said. "Still, before you get to this time period, it's good to do those things and of course keep a hose nearby, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, rakes, shovels, things that regular people could use to extinguish those fires when they're very, very small before they get out of hand and become dangerous," Little said.
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Stringer said even small, everyday mistakes can ignite a fire on days like today.
"Just anything that could produce a spark, initiate a fire, driving down the road, a chain from a trailer dragging that really causes a lot of grass fires on our turnpikes and main highways, just people really being cognizant of everything they do during events like this, weather events," Stringer said.
He said the Broken Arrow Fire Department, Tulsa Fire Department, Bixby, Coweta, Rolling Hills, and Oak Grove Fire Department are together.
"All of them together, we work collaboratively and work well together to, to mitigate issues and come together on weather events like this, and it's really nice to have a community and be surrounded by like-minded departments," Stringer said.
You can see the latest forecast from 2 News Meteorologist Emma Landeros on our website.
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