Fire and emergency crews battling Jenks mulch fire; residents concerned about smoke

Agencies from across the country are in Jenks Tuesday fighting a mulch fire that’s been burning for more than a week.

Neighbors say the smoke is causing lots of problems, leaving ash on their properties, and making it hard to breathe.

The city of Jenks voted on Tuesday night declaring a state of emergency.

JENKS RESIDENTS CONCERNED

Smoke from this fire has been frustrating to many neighbors in Jenks.

“Our cars smell like it, our clothes, our homes, the ash that covers some of the outdoor furniture, it’s just been a real nuisance,” said Bobby Edlund.

“It’s been awful,” said David Crow. “This fire started on Monday; it has not stopped smoking. Our residents are just tired of it. They’ve been breathing this in, they’ve had it in their houses. We’re sick of it, we’re tired of it, and we are so glad to see more fire officials out here because this is just an overwhelming problem at this point.”

Crow and Edlund are glad to see the change to fighting the fire rather than letting it burn.

“I’m proud of how the community has come together here, and I’m very glad to see the state get involved because we can’t have people getting sick and their property destroyed because of this,” said Crow.

“There’s power in numbers,” said Edlund. “When people come together, you can get results. I really think that’s the big takeaway here, is sometimes it takes more voices are heard louder. We just want everybody to be safe and healthy and get this thing extinguished.”

FIRE RESPONSE

The fire has been burning for more than a week.

The initial plan from Jenks Fire was to let it burn out, but the department has now decided to change course.

“All of Oklahoma has been burning,” said Chief Greg Ostrum with Jenks Fire. “So that puts a taxing on all of the resources in the state and what’s available. A mulch fire like this is designed to be contained, not to spread, a defensive fire, until you have the resources to fight it.”

Ostrum says the fire still may take a couple of days to put out.

“We‘ve tried a couple of different routes already today. At the end, we’ll see,” said Ostrum. “We’re at about Option C already today of different fire attacks, we hope this one takes. If this one does not, it may be a plan that we have to sit back and let it burn down farther, but our goal is to make that attempt today.”

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Crews from all over Oklahoma, as well as crews from Florida and Louisiana, are working on the fire.

Emergency crews say the smoke is going to remain for a while and while it’s inconvenient, it’s not toxic.

“We’re reintroducing oxygen back into this fire,” said Joseph Kralicek, the Executive Director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency. “That’s going to create a lot more smoke, a lot more irritants in the air, and that could exacerbate any issues such as asthma, emphysema, or COPD.”

Kralicek says it took a few days for the weather to become more favorable for putting the fire out.

“The initial plan was to pile it up and let it burn down before we could deal with it on a better weather day,” said Kralicek. “Today is a better weather day, so we’re now making an initial attack, seeing if we can’t be successful on trying to extinguish this fire.”

Kralicek recommends people who might have trouble breathing stay inside or wear an N95 mask.

Don Cook with the Oklahoma Forestry Service was also there with that agency to fight the fire.

“It’s just a slow process,” said Cook. “We’re making headway on it, but it’s going to take a little time. Just bear with us and have a little patience, we’ll get there.”

GEM DIRT STATEMENT

Ron Miller, the President of GEM Dirt, did not want to go on camera, but did send News On 6 this statement:

“On Monday (3/17/2025), a fire began in the compost area at GEM Dirt’s South location. Since that time, we have been in close contact with the Jenks Fire Department and, naturally, are following their advice and direction with respect to this situation. We want to thank Fire Chief Greg Ostrum and his team for their responsiveness, constant communication and handling of this matter.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

You can find updates regarding the response here:

Jenks Fire: https://www.facebook.com/jenksfire

TAEMA: https://www.facebook.com/TAEMAOK7