A wildfire scorched several acres Wednesday on the north side of Durant, forcing the Union Pacific Railroad to shut down its main line through the area for about two hours.
The fire started along the railroad tracks near a bridge over Chuckwa Creek and quickly spread to a brushy area between the railroad and Mineral Bayou. There were no structures in the area.
Durant Fire Department responded to the blaze at 3 p.m., dispatching a pair of brush firefighting trucks to the area. Access was an issue as firefighters had to drive to Armstrong and back south a few miles next to the tracks to get equipment to the scene.
According to a fire department report, the fire, that burned approximately five acres, may have been started by a train. Firefighters left the scene at 5:36 that evening.
Southern Oklahoma is at a greater risk of wildfires this week due to high winds, increasing temperatures and prolonged dry weather, according to the National Weather Service.
In other fires, firefighters were dispatched at 4:25 p.m. to Schuler Park at North Fourth Avenue and Poplar Street about playground equipment that was on fire. When firefighters arrived, they found a plastic slide that was on fire. The slide was a total loss. A cause of the fire was not disclosed and a person in the area told firefighters he had not seen anyone near the slide.
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