| Updated: 7/17/2012 9:52 am |
Published: 7/16/2012 7:03 pm
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The dry and hot conditions are not letting up and we could very well be in for drought like last summer.
Rogers County is one of three counties in northeastern Oklahoma to declare a burn ban on Monday.
"On a drought year that's a terrible thing for a cattleman is to have your pasture burned up," said Rogers County Commissioner Kirt Thacker.
He watched nearly 75 acres of land in Inola go up in flames last year. Thacker says fires can spread fast with these drought conditions. He’s also a cattlemen and nearly lost $40,000 worth of hay for his cows last summer.
"It re-ignited four more times through the night," Thacker told FOX23.
Rogers County is filled with farmers and cattle ranchers like Thacker, their livelihoods are on the line and one spark could force him to decide between replacing this hay or selling his cows.
"It's more than just saying don't go out there and burn things, said Thacker. “We want people to know the consequences of what can happen in a fire."
There are two exceptions to Rogers County's burn ban and that was for grilling and welding.
Any other outdoor burning requires a permit.
Those under county burn bans are:
Adair (30 days)
Cherokee
Craig (7 days)
Creek (30 days)
Delaware
Haskell
Latimer
LeFlore (7 days)
Mayes (30 days)
McIntosh (8 days)
Muskogee (30 days)
Nowata (7 days)
Okfuskee
Okmulgee (7 days)
Osage (7 days)
Ottawa (30 days)
Pawnee (30 days)
Pittsburg (30 days)
Rogers (7 days)
Sequoyah (30 days)
Tulsa (8 days)
Wagoner (7 days)
Washington
