Massive Grass Fire Continues To Burn Tuesday Morning In Woodward Co.

Firefighters continue to battle a massive grass fire that has burned more than 23,000 acres in Woodward County, Oklahoma.

According to News 9 Storm Tracker Marty Logan, firefighters from multiple agencies are responding to this grass fire near the towns of Freedom and Mooreland.

Emergency personnel say about a dozen people have been evacuated from their homes because of the wildfire. Woodward County emergency manager Matt Lehenbauer said Tuesday that the fire is 16 miles long. He says no one has been injured and one home is destroyed.

The fire began Monday near Boiling Springs State Park northeast of Woodward and was burning northeastward. The cause of the fire hasn't been determined.

Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker says the agency is using bulldozers and road graders to clear vegetation to assist in firefighting efforts, and will use helicopters to drop water on the flames.

Finch-Walker says the fire has been 20 percent contained and that higher humidity and lower temperatures should help firefighting efforts.

Alabaster Cavern State park remains under an evacuation order. 

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, State Highway 50 from County Road 30, ten miles north of Mooreland, northbound to Freedom, has been re-opened at 10:22 a.m. Tuesday. The highway had been closed at 6 p.m. Monday due to the large grass fire.

3/16/2015 Related Story: At Least 23K Acres Burned In Wildfire Northeast Of Woodward

The Woodward Emergency Management posted the following update to its Facebook page Tuesday morning,

"As a cold front arrived in the early morning hours, winds will continue to howl out of the north most of the day, but we'll see high temperatures only in the 50's today, and humidity up a bit. Rain chances overnight are about 50/50. Overnight, fire crews battled a shifting fireline as the cold front arrived. The fire perimeter shows about 23,500 acres in the burn area. Relief crews and Oklahoma Department of Forestry ground and air assets will arrive again at sunrise to provide support."

Firefighters from Grady County, Amber, Tuttle and Rush Springs Fire Departments are all responding to the fire.

Firefighters from the Logan County Fire Task Force are also on the scene. A relief camp for first responders will be set up at Assembly of God Church in Mooreland.

We also know firefighters here in the Oklahoma City metro are helping crews near Woodward.  Crews from Deer Creek, Kingfisher and Logan Counties are assisting.

News 9 and News9.com will keep you updated.