Multiple fire crews have been battling wild brush fires for the last few days that started in the Squires area and spread throughout areas of Douglas County. Sheriff Chris Degase says while fire crews are not officially saying the fires are contained, he currently doesn’t believe any person or structure is in danger.
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The fire reportedly began Sunday at a residence off Missouri Route N. Sheriff Degase says a male was burning items in his yard, and embers flew across the road. Fire personnel extinguished the blaze, but each of the next few days, it rekindled due to the high winds in the area, leading to the wild fires.
A small residence and a camper trailer were lost in the blaze. Sheriff Degase says there were no major injuries or fatalities, but some firefighters did require treatment.
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At the last update the Douglas County sheriff received, there were two areas crews were watching for hot spots. One was in the Rippee area in the southern portion of the county, and the other was further north in Vanzant.
Sheriff Degase says he is grateful to all of the agencies that responded to battle the fire.
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The Eastern Douglas County Volunteer Fire Department posted on its Facebook the blaze in its area consumed 1,063 acres, making it the largest fire in the history of the county. Sheriff Degase says wasn’t able to confirm that, but it is the largest blaze in the 17 years he’s served as the county’s top law-enforcement official.
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