Smoke rises Saturday from wildfires in Creek County. Authorities said the fires were likely started by two people burning trash near Bristow.Bristow -
This weekend's massive wildfires in Creek County were likely started by two people burning trash near Bristow.
Creek County Sheriff's Lt. Charles Redfern said his office confirmed two people were burning trash in a rural area northwest of Bristow on Thursday. He says a joint investigation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs is ongoing, because there is some dispute about whether the blaze started on tribal land.
The massive wildfire burned through more than 90 square miles and destroyed dozens of homes.
The two could face criminal charges for violating a burn ban, Redfern said.
The governor issued a statewide burn ban on Friday, but a countywide burn ban had been in place since July 5.
Firefighters plan to spend the next couple of days building containment lines and watching for hot spots as increased winds are expected to increase the fire danger for the area today.
Crews from the Oklahoma Forestry Service used blow torches Tuesday to burn off some patches of unburned land in the area to decrease the risk of more fires.
- Staff and Wire Reports
