CHELSEA, Okla. — Chelsea Fire Department said it’s dealing with a series of fires they suspect might have been started on purpose.

They’ve been lit over the past two weeks on grasslands in rural areas within an 8-mile radius and were mainly lit between midnight and 4 a.m.

“It’s more like when is it going to happen next. It’s not if, it’s just when it’s going to happen,” said Chelsea Fire Chief Craig Sampson. “From what we can tell these are started on purpose along the roadway in road ditches. Like somebody’s got out and lit something or used some kind of accelerant.”

Sampson said they have probably seen around 800 acres burned just from arson alone.

“This fire was an eighth a mile wide by three-quarters of a mile long. There’s houses and barns to the south of here and of course, they were asleep because it was 2 a.m.,” Sampson said.

He said at the same time as one of the fires was lit just down the road, another fire was lit on the same property.

“Within 250 yards apart they set it in the same tall grass and this again was before daylight,” Sampson said.

About a quarter of a mile away from that fire, on another night, another fire was lit.

“At the same time, this fire happened south of here. we had two more going at the same time,” Sampson said.

The chief said because of the high grass, some of the flames they fought were 8 feet tall.

He’s worried someone’s going to get hurt

“You know you get a fireman hurt, get a fireman ran over or burn somebody’s house down ‚because it’s night time. Nobody’s going to see anything until it’s too late,” Sampson said.

He’s now asking for the community’s help.

“If they happen to hear something, people talk so if somebody is bragging about setting fires then they definitely need to contact their local law enforcement and let them know what’s going on. Also just stay open, be watching because they’re going to get caught. They’re going to mess up and somebody’s going to see them. That’s what we want to happen,” Sampson said.

If you have any information you’re asked to contact the fire department or the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office.

To contact the Chelsea Fire Department, call 918-923-4755.

To contact Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, call 918-342-9700.