LUTHER, Okla. (AP) - Crews have closed Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma County because of a wildlife that authorities say is suspicious in nature.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says I-44, also known as the Turner Turnpike, was shut down Friday afternoon from the Luther gate to the Chandler gate in Lincoln County.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's spokesman Mark Myers says deputies received a report that a white male in a black Ford F-150 pickup truck had tossed out newspapers that had been set on fire. Myers says when deputies arrived, they found a large grass fire in progress.

Myers says deputies evacuated residents in the area and notified officials in Lincoln and Logan counties because the flames were spreading northward.

The Oklahoma Transportation Department says Oklahoma Highway 66 has been suggested as an alternate route.