Wildfire debris removal

The wildfire aftermath is now in the clean up stages.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team is signing up fire victims for clean up assessments.  They won’t remove the debris but will separate debris into piles so you can easily remove them.

For the first time a father is back at what was his home, until the fires roared through Saturday.  “It has taken me so long to get out here,” said Robert Snodgrass.

He said he watched from afar his home burn.

“It was like a fire tornado,” said Snodgrass.

He barely sifted through the rubble.

“You turn right here that’s the master bath,” said Snodgrass.

He found his eleven-year-old son’s motorcycle.

“That just kills me. My boy had so much fun. He is going to be mad. He’s going to be mad,” said Snodgrass.

Robert had collections that were ruined.

“Look at this. This how you know it’s all gone,” said Snodgrass. “My Dale Earnhardt.”

He also had a John Wayne DVD collection.

“The Duke,” said Snodgrass.

However, he doesn’t know how to move forward.

“This is all I really know. I’ve been out here for a long time,” said Snodgrass.

Until a member of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief tells him about their free debris clean up program.

It’s a starting point. The program provides and will come back out with equipment to separate debris into limb, scrap metal and heavy metal piles. They’ll even separate salvageable items.

“You start by getting it cleaned up,” said Snodgrass. “I see a new beginning huh? Cause there sure isn’t one here,” said Snodgrass.

Volunteers and families will be out this weekend helping with debris removal.

The Fire Department recommends you use a mask, heavy-duty gloves and protective shoes to remove debris.

The Department of Environmental Quality reports there are no hazardous levels of toxins but caution on how you remove items.

Oklahoma is currently under a burn ban till the end of August.

Concrete or asphalt can be left or buried, but they recommend furniture such as mattresses, couches and carpet not be burned.

You can dispose of them as you usually do or take them to a landfill.

Hazardous household items need to be disposed of at hazardous waste site.

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Team has signed up more than 100 families for free debris clean-up. To sign up you can visit the First Baptist Church in Mannford at 105 Greenwood Avenue.