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February 20, 2009

NEW: Fire blackens 20 acres, destroys outbuildings

By Julianna Parker

SLAUGHTERVILLE - A fire Friday afternoon blackened about 20 acres and destroyed four outbuildings before firefighters from six fire departments extinguished it at Maguire Road and 108th Avenue.

There were no injuries reported.

"At this time we don't even know how or where the fire started," Slaughterville Fire Department Safety Officer David Thompson said at about 2 p.m. Friday.

Later in the day, firefighters responded to grass fires farther east in Pottawatomie County. Those fires appeared to be under control before 5 p.m.

The first fire was called in before 1 p.m. and seems to have originated as a grass fire near Maguire Road, Thompson said. Owing to strong winds, the blaze spread north and consumed four garages and outside shops before it was stopped by firefighters. The fire was extinguished just before it hit a row of homes and the L. Howell veterinary clinic.

Firefighters from the Slaughterville, Noble, Lexington, Little Axe, Cedar Country and Norman fire departments responded to the fire. It took about 30 to 35 minutes to extinguish the fire, Thompson said.

"The Fire Departments have got here in record time," said Penney Rinderknecht, who lives just north of the burn line. She and other residents were alerted to the fire when the fire departments and the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department arrived.

"We heard the sirens and we saw smoke," she said. So residents pulled out their water hoses and started putting out small fires smoldering by their lawns.

One Sheriff's deputy, Rick Abbott, saved Rinderknecht's neighbor's trailer from catching fire by shooting a water hose under the trailer and then alerting the resident, Rinderknecht said.

Another nearby resident, Gail Hunter, said the fire got within six feet of her trailer. She was under the influence of sleeping drugs, since she works nights, but said she was able to get out of her trailer safely.

Julianna Parker366-3541jparker@normantranscript.com

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