WATTS, Okla. — At least nine agencies responded to a 200-acre grass fire along U.S. Highway 59 near the plastics recycling plant north of town Friday.

The blaze started before noon west of the highway and northeast of the AERT plant.

Police and fire crews closed the southbound lane of the highway temporarily while crews attacked the blaze, just south of the Illinois River.

As of 1 p.m. Friday, noone was injured and no structures were damaged as a result of the fire, said Skeets Snyder, Watts fire chief.

Shiloh and Stan Cash, who were on horseback, helped move 30 cows away from the blaze.

Ken Eddleman of Tontitown said the Cashes were nice to help him move the cows. Eddleman leases the land on which the cows were grazing.

Jeff Lewis of Watts Fire Department said the fire moved rapidly down a hill.

Lewis was driving alongthe road to the AERT plant when he saw where it started at the top of the hill. By the time he drove to the bottom of the hill, the blaze had caught up to him.

The following agencies responded:

◊Chance

◊West Siloam Springs

◊Westville

◊Watts

◊Oklahoma Forestry Service

◊Christie-Proctor

◊Flint Ridge

◊Mid-County

◊Adair County Emergency Management

News, Pages 4 on 08/07/2011