Man Welding Causes Large Grass Fire Near Norman

Fire crews were able to get a handle on a large grass fire just to the northeast of Norman, Thursday afternoon. 

Oklahoma City firefighters were called out to battle the blaze, located in the 17000 block of S. Air Depot Blvd., just before 2:30 p.m. Some structures, including some homes, were threatened, but firefighters worked quickly and got the fire under control a little after 3:30 p.m. 

Authorities first told News 9 the fire started out as a controlled burn, but soon spread out of control. But after investigating, the Oklahoma City Fire Department determined that a man was welding on a fence which sparked  the fire. Homes in front of the fire had to be evacuated.

Crews also shut down S. Air Depot in the area while firefighters worked to get a handle on the situation. Large cedar trees combined with the wind gusts made for a difficult situation for fire crews. 

Again, that fire was brought under control just after 3:30 p.m.