Drumright Residents Use Sprinklers To Save Their Own Homes - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Many have had a lot of sleepless nights watching the flames inch closer to their homes.

And with overworked fire crews stretched thin, some homeowners are taking matters into their own hands.

A fire in Payne County has destroyed almost everything in its path.

"It's scary," Kendra Cross said. "You feel helpless, but then you do whatever you can cause you don't want to lose your home."

Cross says her time has been consumed with keeping flames away by using sprinklers.

But as the fire raged though the area, it caused some unexpected problems.

Transformers are down and utility poles are smoldering, leaving many people without power.

"Yesterday when I lost electricity, had no water; I sat on the front porch and cried, because it was coming right to me and I thought, 'I've lost it,'" Carla Brittenham said.

Brittenham said they couldn't find firefighters to help them, so neighbors came up with a Plan B.

"We've been going down to our pond down there and filling up some tankers and they've saved our houses for us out here," Kendra Cross said.

But not everyone was that lucky.

As SKYNEWS6 flew overhead, we could see a number of homes destroyed by flames.

Cross' 9-year-old daughter was worried her home was going to end up in ashes.

While most kids would be thinking about their toys, Mackenzie was focused on something else.

You can replace everything else, but you can't replace memories, albums, anything like that," she said.