OKMULGEE, Okla. — Seven firefighters got heat exhaustion while putting out a house fire in Okmulgee on Sunday.

Six firefighters responding to the home that caught fire were from the Okmulgee Fire Department.

What happened to the firefighters wasn’t an everyday occurrence.

Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, the Okmulgee Fire Department received a call of a home on fire near Seneca Street and Alabama Avenue.

FOX23 spoke to the homeowner, Sonya Hurst, who said her home was set on fire.

“We get around the corner, my living room is lit up, and a buddy of mine that was bringing me food said he saw somebody walking in through the house and out of the back,” she said.

Once the fire department arrived at the scene, Okmulgee Fire Chief Dewayne Hurt asked for extra firefighters due to the heat.

“They went ahead and asked for two additional firefighters,” Hurt said. “Just knowing that the heat was going to be an issue. It’s one of the things I visit with my leaders, my chiefs, my captains. ‘Don’t hesitate, if it’s over a hundred degrees, don’t hesitate to get more additional help.’”

Hurt said that with the heat index, a few crew members got heat exhaustion.

The gear firefighters have to wear weighs at least 25 pounds, which makes it even harder for them to do their jobs in the summer heat.

“I mean I could see them going down on their knees and they were taking their gear off, but I could see by the look of their face at what level they’re, I could tell whether they were exhausted or not,” he said. “That’s when I started EMS here having them on scene.”

Hurt reached out to fire departments in Preston, Morris, Wilson and a few more that showed up to help put out the fire due to the lack of water.

“It’s very, very common,” he said. “We’re a big enough community that we have a pretty good water system, it’s just certain areas of town, it’s an older system and those are very limited.”

Hurt said he was grateful for the help that he received while they were saving lives.

“We’re a fully staffed department, but it gets to the point because of the heat and the water situation I had, they were invaluable,” he said. “I don’t know what would’ve happened without them, but it would not have went as well.”

After what happened, Hurt said he’ll be prepared if it does happen again in the near future.