Evacuation order lifted, Logan Co. firefighters stand down after containing devastating fire

An evacuation order issued Monday for residents of eastern Logan County has been lifted after firefighters managed to contain a wildfire in the area, authorities say.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Logan County Emergency Management said the flames began spreading Monday afternoon and were at their strongest just a few feet from homes and livestock.

According to the evacuation order, anyone living between Hiwassee Road and Coyle Road and between County Road 73 and West 92nd Street was asked to move toward the Smitty's gas station west of Langston.

Although no one was injured and there were no reports of loss of homes or livestock, all fire departments in Logan County were tasked with responding.

“This is something that we honestly expected to happen somewhere in the area given the weather conditions,” said Dusty King with Logan County Emergency Management. “So it wasn’t really a surprise. This allowed us to react much more quickly. The fire departments have done a fantastic job so far.”

The Langston Fire Department says something as small as a person throwing a cigarette butt into dry grass can ignite such flames.

Monday's fire isn't the first time Logan County has had to deal with devastating fires. In 2022, almost 700 hectares of land burned near Mulhall, and in 2023 a fire destroyed more than 3,000 hectares of land and more than 50 houses.