150th and Luther Road Wildfire

Firefighters say the fire burning through Luther has
scorched about eight and a half acres. 
Several hundred firefighters from 30 different departments around the
state worked into the night to contain the fire.

Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel says deputies have
confirmed at least 25 homes were destroyed and estimates that number will
likely rise when they are able to do a full survey of the damage

Fire commanders say they have to fight the fire entirely on
the ground because all the air resources are tied up at other fires around Oklahoma.  Fire fighters say the wind continues to be a
concern because it is causing back burns, where the fire re-kindles in areas
where it was previously extinguished. 

The dangerous restarts of the fire caused the evacuation
shelter to be moved three times for people fleeing the Luther fire.  The shelter is now at Harmony Christian
Church, 7100 S. Choctaw Road
in Choctaw, OK.  A spokesperson with the
American Red Cross says volunteers have seen several people using the
shelters.

The sheriff’s office believes the fire may have been
intentionally set.  A witness told
investigators he saw someone in a black or dark blue, 2008-model F-150 throw a
burning paper out the window of the truck. 
The truck had red lettering on the side. 
Sheriff Whetsel says he has three investigators working to track down
leads.  Those investigators have already
talked to the owner of one similar truck, but ruled him out as having anything
to do with the fires.  The Sheriff’s
office is asking anyone with information about the fires to call (405) 869-2501.

Posted: Saturday, August 4 2012, 07:56 AM CDT