Tuesday afternoon, Guymon Firefighters and nearly all Fire agencies in Texas County fought fire in extreme weather conditions.
At 1:18pm, Guymon Fire Department along with Hough and Hooker VFDs were called to a grass fire on Hwy 136 & Rd. L north of Guymon. As units began to respond to this grass fire, Guymon Firefighters were also called to a confirmed home fire in Guymon at 1:20pm to 405 S. Quinn. At the time of both fires, extreme fire weather conditions were present with winds out of the west sustained 38mph+ with gusts registering at 61mph.
“The house fire in Guymon was fully involved in flames and spreading to other nearby garages and homes nearby when the call came in”, said Guymon Fire Chief Grant Wadley. Firefighters concentrated their efforts in protecting the other structures which consisted of the entire east half of the 100 block of SW. 5th. The house was not occupied at the time of the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Guymon Fire Marshal Office.
The grass fire required more resources in the extreme conditions. “Fire started near a rural farm home and began spreading to the east at an incredible speed”, said Chief Wadley. In less than 1 hour, the fire burned 323 acres, lost of 2 abandon residence, and 1 barn. A total of 8 other structures were threatened and saved by Texas County Firefighters and Texas County District workers. At one point in this fire, a small area evacuation of rural homes in the path of this fire was ordered by Fire Officials which extended to Mile 34 from Hwy 136. Other Fire units responding were Yarbrough, Adams, Hardesty, Goodwell, Optima, Tyrone, and Baker. Texas County Districts #1, #2, and #3 assisted with multiple road graders and water tankers.
This grass fire was extinguished by Firefighters at 7:41pm with no injuries reported. Further damage evaluation will be conducted Wednesday.
The Guymon Fire Department and the National Weather Service out of Amarillo support how to help prevent wildland fires;
Do NOT toss lit cigarettes on the ground
Do NOT drag tow chains on ground
Do NOT park/drive over tall grass
Do NOT leave campfires unattended
Do NOT burn unnecessarily.
