Crews Use Back Burn To Battle Watonga Fire

Firefighters have set another fire to help gain control of a grassfire in Blaine County.

The wildfire began burning near Watonga July 5. Fire crews have started a back burn to get rid of some of the fuel for the grassfire.

In order to set the back burn, crews shut down State Highway 58 about 9 miles west of Watonga near the U.S. 270 junction. It's not known how long the highway will be closed.

Blaine County is one of six Oklahoma counties under a burn ban in effect until August 4. The ban also affects Adair, Beaver, Creek, LeFlore and Sequoyah counties. The burn ban means residents cannot build campfires or bonfires, burn trash, or grill with charcoal or wood. Violators could be hit with a $500 fine.

See a complete list of burn bans in Oklahoma