McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

January 3, 2009

Fires could prompt new ban

By John Yates

Pittsburg County Commissioners, at their regular weekly meeting Monday morning, will again have a countywide burn ban to consider.

This, following a week in which numerous fires were fought across the county — some causing extensive damage.

Meetings of the Pittsburg County Commission are open to the public and begin at 9 a.m.

Commissioners, along with other specific restrictions and provisions, can only pass a burn ban for seven days at a time. Beginning in the second half of November, most of the past several weeks has seen the county under one of these bans.

However, rainfall which fell the week before last meant no ban was adopted by commissioners at thier Dec. 29 meeting. That very day, fires were reported in various parts of the county and more responses were made on fire reports at least through Thursday.

According to McAlester and Pittsburg County Emergency Management Director Trent Myers, a blaze which started as a trash fire burned a mobile home and a barn.

Savanna Fire Chief Donald Capps said while the main residence on the property — located about five miles south of Savanna — was saved, a mobile home valued at $75-80,000, and an outbuilding, valued at $20,000, were burned.

Several area fire departments responded to the fire, including crews from the Kiowa, Pittsburg volunteer fire departments and a support unit from the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant.

Krebs fought a structure fire that day as well, according to Myers, among other fires in the county.

Tuesday, a fire in the No. 9 area burned a mobile home and a boat storage building. That building, which Myers thought could house eight boats, had gear in it but no boats, at the time it burned.

A large fire in the Tannehill area that was fought into the early morning hours Wednesday, later rekindled, leading to another response by weary volunteers.

Meanwhile, commissioners — in their role as trustees of the Pittsburg County Economic Development Authority — have a meeting Monday morning. Based on their agenda, it appears they will rescind and re-do the appointment of a chairman and vice-chairman of the authority.

There is also a special meeting of the commissioners set for later Monday morning. The only items on the agenda for that meeting under county business is to give settlement authority to a commissioner. That would be for a Jan. 9 settlement conference for a case in federal court.

John Yates is the news director for McAlester Radio. Contact him at 426-1050.

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