Ingalls Fire Department

10/16/2026

At 1:57 p.m. today, Ingalls Fire was requested to provide mutual aid to Yale Fire Department for a commercial structure fire. Within minutes, Ingalls Tanker 2 and Brush 4 were en route to assist.

Upon arrival, IFD firefighters learned the fire involved Mugsy’s Grubhouse in Yale, a local establishment that has shown our department support through meals and kindness over the years. We are saddened to see a business that has been so generous to our community affected by this incident.

Ingalls firefighters worked alongside personnel from Yale, Ripley, Cushing, and Olive Fire Departments, Yale Police Department, Payne County Emergency Management, the Payne County Sheriff’s Office, and other responding agencies. We appreciate the coordinated efforts of everyone who responded to help bring the incident under control.

IFD personnel assisted with exterior fire suppression and interior overhaul and mop-up operations following the initial knockdown. At approximately 4:00 p.m., Ingalls was released from the scene after the fire was brought under control.

We are grateful for the opportunity to support our neighboring departments and stand alongside the Yale community during a difficult day. Our thoughts are with the owners, employees, and everyone affected by the fire at Mugsy’s Grubhouse.

Yale Fire Department
Payne County Emergency Management
Ripley Fire Department
Cushing Oklahoma Fire Department

10/05/2026

Join us at 7:00 pm tomorrow night for our Annual Fire Department Meeting.

We will discuss the past year, plans for the upcoming year, department financial health, elect board members to any open/expiring positions, as well as an open Q&A opportunity to ask questions directly to the board members and fire department officers, and more.

If you are interested in serving on the department board, please be sure to attend and nominate yourself for any opening positions.

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow night at our training building located just East of our station at 12509 E 19th Ave, Stillwater, OK 74074!

10/01/2026

Always grateful to assist our neighbors. Thank you Payne County Emergency Management for the great photos!

09/13/2026

At approximately 12:15 a.m. this morning, Ingalls Fire District was requested for mutual aid by the Glencoe Fire Department for a possible fire near Clay Road and Richmond Road.

Upon arrival, Glencoe units discovered three tank batteries on fire following an apparent lightning strike and began requesting additional mutual aid.

Ingalls was the first engine/suppression unit to arrive and took over primary fire attack. Using firefighting foam, Ingalls firefighters were able to quickly knock down the first two tank batteries.

The third battery was burning significantly hotter and remained heavily loaded with product. After additional foam and units from Cushing Fire arrived, with their vast knowledge of tank battery firefighting, additional attack lines were deployed from Ingalls Engine 5-1 to cool the battery before foam was applied to smother the remaining fire.

This incident also provided a valuable opportunity for our student-section members and newer recruits to gain real-world firefighting and hazardous materials experience. All of our student-section firefighters, who are OSU students, were able to respond and assist with the operation. They worked directly alongside our experienced firefighters from several agencies and were even tasked with primary fire attack on the hoselines.

Ingalls Engine 5-1 and Brush 4 both responded and worked alongside our neighboring departments throughout the incident.

Ingalls units cleared the scene and returned to the station at approximately 3:30 a.m.

We appreciate the assistance from Glencoe, Ripley, Cushing, Maramec, and the other agencies who responded to help, including anyone we may have missed in the early-morning response.

Incidents like this demonstrate the importance of mutual aid, but they also provide invaluable training opportunities for the next generation of volunteer firefighters. We are proud of our student members for stepping up and getting to work when the call came in.

Glencoe Fire Department
Ripley Fire Dept
Cushing Oklahoma Fire Department
Maramec Fire Department

09/08/2026

All of us at Ingalls Fire would like to request your thoughts and prayers for our neighbors to the south, down in Lincoln County. They have lost one of their own following a medical emergency on a fire yesterday, and we are all heartbroken for the town of Wellston and all of the fire family of Lincoln County.

08/29/2026

Today, at approximately 10:47 a.m., Ingalls Fire was requested to assist Glencoe Fire Department with a brush fire just north of the Cimarron Turnpike. The fire originated along the turnpike shoulder and spread into an adjacent hay meadow that had recently been baled.

Ingalls Brush 4 responded for mutual aid alongside units from Glencoe, Pawnee, Maramec, Ripley, and Morrison, as well as Payne County Emergency Management, OHP, and county sheriff’s units.

Crews were able to contain the fire to approximately 15 acres, including highway right-of-way, hay meadow, several hay bales, and light tree cover.

Local landowners and farmers also assisted by moving hay bales out of the fire area, helping protect additional property and assisting the landowner.

Ingalls cleared the scene and returned to the station at approximately 1:07 p.m.

We appreciate all of the agencies, landowners, and community members who worked together to quickly contain the fire and protect the surrounding area.

Glencoe Fire Department
Ripley Fire Dept
Payne County Emergency Management
Maramec Fire Department
Morrison Volunteer Fire Department
Pawnee Fire Department

08/13/2026

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (13 Aug. 2026)

Update on Lieutenant Joshua Contreras

STILLWATER, OK — The Ingalls Fire Department is pleased to share that Lieutenant Joshua Contreras has been released from the hospital and will continue his recovery at home with his family.

Josh is extremely appreciative of the overwhelming support, prayers, and encouragement he and his family have received from the community, fellow firefighters, friends, and others throughout the past several days.

While Josh has a long road ahead, we are encouraged by his progress. Despite the significant injuries he sustained in the crash, he is currently able to walk, and all four extremities are functioning as expected. He remains significantly bruised and is recovering from several broken vertebrae in his neck and back, several broken ribs, and a broken nose.

His recovery will be long and slow, but we remain hopeful that over the coming months Josh will continue to make progress and ultimately return to full health.

Josh’s wife, Dena, and their two children will be by his side as he begins this next phase of recovery at home. The Ingalls Fire Department will continue to support Josh and his family throughout his recovery.

Support for Josh and His Family

A GoFundMe has been established to help Josh and his family with the expenses associated with his recovery and time away from work. Those wishing to support them can do so here:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ingalls-firefighters-after-tanker-accident

The Ingalls Fire Department sincerely thanks everyone who has continued to pray for Josh, Jace, and their families. The outpouring of support has meant more than we can express.

This will be the final update from the Ingalls Fire Department on this incident for the foreseeable future. We respectfully ask that the community continue to keep Josh, Jace, and their families in your thoughts and prayers while also respecting the privacy of the firefighters and their families as they focus on recovery and healing.

On August 6, Lieutenant Joshua Contreras and Firefighter Jace Wilso… Sarah Jeffrey needs your support for Support Ingalls Firefighters After Tanker Accident

08/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2026

Update on Ingalls Firefighters Following August 6, 2026 Apparatus Crash

STILLWATER, OK — The Ingalls Fire Department and Payne County are providing an update regarding Lieutenant Joshua Contreras and Firefighter Jace Wilson following yesterday’s vehicle crash.

Firefighter Wilson was released today following an overnight evaluation. Jace, a Tuttle, Oklahoma, native and aviation student at Oklahoma State University, joined the Ingalls Fire Department this past year. During his time with the department, he has quickly become a valued member of the team and is known by his fellow firefighters as an eager, hardworking young man who is excited to serve others. We are grateful to see him home and ask the community to continue to keep him and his family in their thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Lieutenant Joshua Contreras remains hospitalized and is undergoing further evaluation today to determine the full extent of his injuries. Lieutenant Contreras has sustained fractures to several vertebrae in his spine and neck, as well as a fractured nose. While his injuries are significant, he is currently stable and in good spirits. His medical team continues to evaluate his condition and determine the appropriate course of treatment.

Josh has been a member of the Ingalls Fire Department for the past eight years. He was promoted to Lieutenant within the last year in recognition of his dedication to the department and his commitment to developing the next generation of firefighters through his work with the department’s Student Section, which is made up primarily of Oklahoma State University students.

Outside of the fire department, Josh is the proud owner of The Letterman Barbershop in Stillwater. He is also a devoted husband to his wife, Dena, and father of two. Dena has been by Josh’s side since he was transported from the scene yesterday, and the department is grateful for the support she and their family have provided throughout his service to our community.

The Ingalls Fire Department and Payne County are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support for these firefighters and their families.

Both Josh and Jace have dedicated their time to
serving others, and we ask that everyone continue to keep them, their families, and the medical teams caring for them in their prayers.

Donations to Support the Firefighters and Their Families

Those wishing to support Firefighters Contreras and Wilson and their families may make donations to the Ingalls Fire Department.

Online:
http://app.joinit.com/o/ingalls-fire-district

By Mail:
Ingalls Fire Department
P.O. Box 2085
Stillwater, OK 74074

In Person:
Payne County Clerk’s Office
315 W. 6th, Suite 202
Stillwater, OK

The Ingalls Fire Department and Payne County sincerely appreciate the continued support of the community during this difficult time.

Please continue to keep Lieutenant Contreras, Firefighter Wilson, their families, and their fellow firefighters in your thoughts and prayers as they begin the road to recovery.

08/06/2026

This afternoon, while returning from providing mutual aid assistance to the Yale Fire Department on a grass fire, Ingalls Fire Department’s Tanker 1 was involved in a serious single-vehicle rollover accident on State Highway 51 near South 3450 Road in Payne County.

According to the preliminary investigation, the apparatus suffered a catastrophic failure of a front steering tire while traveling westbound. Following the tire failure, the fully loaded tanker left the roadway, traveled down an embankment, and rolled multiple times before coming to rest in a wooded area.

Two Ingalls firefighters were onboard the apparatus at the time of the accident. Both firefighters became trapped inside the vehicle. One firefighter was able to be removed with the assistance of Good Samaritans who immediately stopped to help, while the second firefighter was extricated by the Stillwater Fire Department.

One firefighter was transported by helicopter, and the second was transported by ambulance under emergency conditions to a Level I Trauma Center in Tulsa. We are grateful that both firefighters were awake and alert when they left the scene. At this time, both remain in critical condition and are receiving medical care.

Out of respect for the firefighters and their families, their names will not be released at this time.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all of the Good Samaritans who stopped to assist, as well every responding agency and individual whose professionalism and compassion made a difference during this incident.

Tanker 1 was a total loss.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. We ask the public to keep our firefighters, their families, and all members of the Ingalls Fire Department in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We also respectfully ask that the privacy of those involved be honored as the investigation continues and our firefighters focus on their recovery.

07/27/2026

Yesterday at approximately 12:02 PM, Ingalls Fire Department was dispatched to provide mutual aid to Glencoe Fire Department for a hay baler fire.

The farmer, with assistance from Glencoe’s Fire Chief, was able to safely disconnect the tractor from the baler and save the tractor. Ingalls and Glencoe firefighters then worked together to extinguish the baler, which was unfortunately a total loss.

As hay season gets underway, we remind farmers and agricultural operators that hay fires can start quickly and with little warning. Before operating balers or other hay equipment, make sure you have a properly charged and functioning fire extinguisher readily available alongside your tractor and equipment.

With temperatures expected to remain elevated this week and grasses continuing to dry, fire danger is likely to increase in the coming weeks. Dried grasses and hay can ignite and spread fire rapidly, so please use caution and be prepared.

Thank you Glencoe Fire Department for the opportunity to help assist our neighbors!