Friday fire burns 80 acres, goes onto Fort Sill

INDIAHOMA — A Friday wildfire near Indiahoma burned 80 acres and crossed onto Fort Sill’s Quanah Parker Range as firefighters continued work to contain it into Saturday.

The fire began around 4:45 p.m. and Indiahoma’s volunteer firefighters responded to the area of U.S. 62 and Big Bow Road. They arrived to find the fast-moving fire moving north and called for additional resources, according to Alana Pack, deputy director for Comanche County – Lawton Emergency Management. The fire then moved onto the federal Fort Sill land, burning a larger portion than the 80 acres than in Comanche County although the acreage remains unknown.

“Firefighting operations are still currently ongoing, the fire is estimated to be 15 percent contained,” she said Saturday morning. “We can confirm loss of structures and damages assessments are ongoing at this time.”

On Saturday afternoon, people were remined to avoid the area affected by the fire as crews continued to mop up operations and there was still equipment present.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Pack said. No injuries have been reported.

Responding agencies include the Indiahoma, Cache, Chattanooga, Pecan Creek, Edgewater Park, Wichita Mountain Estates, Lawton, Snyder, Mountain Park, Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge Fire, Fort Sill, and Comanche Nation fire departments, as well as Comanche County District 3, Chattanooga Police Department, Comanche County Sheriff’s Office, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Law Enforcement, Comanche County — Lawton Emergency Management, American Red Cross, and Comanche County Memorial Hospital Ambulance, according to Pack.

Comanche County-Lawton Emergency Management provided assistance at a Unified Command post at the Indiahoma Fire Department to coordinate the firefighting operation.

Unified Command is a process that allows multiple agencies to work together to manage an incident. It’s used when there are multiple agencies involved or when the incident crosses jurisdictional boundaries, Pack said.

“The Unified Command establishes a common set of objectives and strategies that all agencies can agree to and allows Incident Commanders to make joint decisions,” she said.