Posted on 03/01/2006 6:43:28 PM PST by Rte66
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Wildfires raged across parts of Oklahoma on Wednesday, forcing numerous evacuations, the closure of a highway and destroying at least two homes.
The largest fires burned in Stephens County in southwestern Oklahoma, including a blaze that prompted authorities to evacuate two schools, a technical center and a distribution center.
Duncan public information officer Sam Darst said the fire ignited the Empire school football field, but that was quickly doused. Darst said pupils from both schools were sent home.
About 1,000 people from the Family Dollar Distribution Center and a technical center also were evacuated.
Darst said several structures have been lost, but it wasn't immediately known how many were destroyed. Other Stephens County fires were located north of Marlow, east and north of Velma and in the community of Loco, where Darst said there was a report of a firefighter injured.
Fire information officer Anna Payne said four other fires burned in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and blazes were reported near Wagoner and Sallisaw in eastern Oklahoma.
Grass fires also were reported in Lincoln County near state Highway 18 and part of Oklahoma Highway 51 near Keystone Dam was shut down because of a large grass fire.
My heavenly days! Look at the active fire map for all of the US right now. There are more fires going than I've ever seen on here:
http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/recent3.php?op=table
Record high temperatures (wow, like that 92 I saw for Dallas? Unreal!) and dry conditions forced a Red Flag Warning across Oklahoma and North Texas today through tomorrow.
~~~~~
Fires in Tulsa area and Lake Texoma Area today:
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=99807
Wildfires Blacken Fields Near Mannford And Broken Arrow
Several wildfires burned Wednesday afternoon near Tulsa. One wildfire blackened at least a 1,000 acres east of Mannford on state Highway 51.
Fire officials say several homes and a school were threatened for a time Wednesday afternoon. State highway 51 east of Mannford was closed, because of the smoke across the highway. A number of rural fire departments were busy fighting the blaze.
Another fire burned in Broken Arrow. The fire was located near 31st and the Creek Turnpike. The turnpike was shut down for a time Wednesday afternoon as firefighters battle the blaze.
Broken Arrow and several other area fire departments were called in to extinguish this wildfire. Officials say at least two Broken Arrow firefighters sustained minor injuries.
State fire officials are warning of a very high fire danger across Oklahoma for the rest of Wednesday and into Thursday morning and a Red Flag Warning is in place statewide.
More than 480,500 acres have been burned in Oklahoma since November 1st by more than 2,300 wildfires.
Yikes! And we were only 82 here in Houston. Hope y'all get some rain with the front tomorrow!
ping to Sally'sConcerns
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BREAKING NEWS UPDATE:
Wildfire continues to rage south of Duncan
Duncan (7 News) _
A large wildfire continues to burn in southern Stephens County. Currently the fire is near Meridian stretching from Oklahoma Hills Road south to Refinery Road. Fire officials are asking that no one go near the area of the fire because those that do are hindering fire fighting efforts.
Highway 81 is closed from south Duncan to Comanche.
A relief center has been set up by the Red Cross at the west end of the Stephens County Fairgrounds.
7 News has also found out more information on the two Rush Springs Fire Fighters who were injured fighting the blaze. One fire fighter has been taken to Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and the other is in stable condition at the Duncan Medical Center.
The residents of the Meridian Nursing home are fine and being housed in a local church. 7 News has crews in Stephens County and is continuing to monitor the situation.
Isn't Duncan the World HQ for Halliburton?!
That's great livestock area too. Prayers Up!
Not any more - but it's their birthplace. They were in Dallas for quite a while and now Houston.
This start of the "real" fire season took me by surprise because we've had showers and storms off and on (not a huge total of rainfall, however) here in SE TX, so I hoped there had been more in OK - I know there was some snow, lol.
It's La Niña, of course. (Not Bush or Rove - certainly not starting fires near Duncan!)
Halliburton still maintains a large presence in the Duncan area even though it's no longer their headquarters. Thanks for the prayers, they're greatly appreciated.
I've been monitoring the scanner and the fire north of Marlow has been completely put out. They're still fighting the fire south of Duncan and are heavily patrolling the lake areas east of Duncan looking for outbreaks.
There's a BOLO out for a white van seen by a citizen which was seen parked on the side of the road near where they believe the Marlow fire started. Needless to say, they expect it was deliberately set.
The local police are running up and down Hwy 81 keeping an eye out for fires and anything suspicious.
Listening to the scanner this afternoon I could hear the stress and worry in the voices of the people fighting the fires. The fire got big enough to where it created its own windstorm and doubled back several times on top of the firefighters. More than likely that's how the 2 firefighters who are in the hospital were overcome with smoke.
Thanks for the update. Stay safe!
Calera is only about 20 miles north of my "other" house, the one where my wife lives and I get to occasionally visit. She didn't mention anything about this when we spoke this evening about 8 PM. Highway 75 is aka "Central Expressway" another 40 miles or so south into Texas, most especially in Dallas, which would be about 75 miles south of Calera.
Oh, that's the Lake Texoma area one, isn't it? We've "talked" here about it before, I think. (And maybe about my Colbert Chickasaw ancestors?)
Hwy 75 has been my Main Street a couple of times in my life, so I know what you mean. Lived right off Central Expwy while at a certain nearby university and also grew up "commuting" on Hwy 75 at a much more northern portion of it, between Tulsa and a northern ex-urb an hour away.
Hope the fire's out and stays out now.
There has been one arrest for arson in the Duncan fire ...
Okla. Fires Destroy Homes, Force Evacuations
Posted: Thursday March 2,2006 - 01:58:50 am
OKLAHOMA CITY - Authorities took one man into custody on suspicion of arson and were searching for another after a wildfire in southwestern Oklahoma destroyed at least 30 homes and forced the evacuation of two schools, a nursing home and area businesses.
The fire was one of several fueled by gusty winds and high temperatures. Seven firefighters were injured while fighting the blazes.
No other information was available about the man taken into custody in connection with the fire in Stephens County.
"They do believe this fire was purposely set," said Sam Darst, public information officer for the city of Duncan, the county seat.
The Stephens County blaze forced the evacuation of a technical center and the Family Dollar Distribution Center, as well as schools and a nursing home.
Two firefighters suffered severe burns. One was in critical condition, and another was in satisfactory condition, Darst said.
Other fires burned in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and blazes were reported near Wagoner and Sallisaw in eastern Oklahoma, said Anna Payne, a state fire information officer.
The fires came ahead of an approaching weather system that kicked up winds out of the south at 20 to 25 mph with higher gusts. Temperatures on Wednesday shattered records for March 1 in Oklahoma City, where it hit 92 degrees, and Tulsa, where it reached 93 degrees. Conditions were expected to be similar on Thursday.
Three firefighters were reported injured while battling a blaze near Chandler that destroyed at least four structures, Payne said. Chandler Assistant Fire Chief Bobby Johnson said firefighters were able to control the fire at times, but it moved too rapidly to extinguish.
"We won't know for days what all has been lost," Johnson said.
In Broken Arrow, one firefighter inhaled smoke and another sustained minor burns while helping suppress a possible arson blaze that charred about 300 acres, officials said.
In neighboring Tulsa, a lit cigarette is believed to have started a fire that blackened 300 to 500 acres, Tulsa Fire Capt. Larry Bowles said. One barn was destroyed, and four other structures were threatened, officials said.
Also Wednesday, a fire burned on parched grassland in northeast New Mexico, forcing a daylong evacuation of about 100 people in a small farming and ranching community. They were allowed back in the evening.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving prairie fire scorched about 23,000 acres in Colorado's Yuma County. Up to six buildings were burned and four firefighters were injured before the blaze burned itself out, sheriff's officials said. The extent of the firefighters' injuries was not immediately known.
Grrr ... the weatheridiot on Good Morning America just now mentioned the news item on the fires in Oklahoma and then said -- get this -- "let's hope it warms up for you all out there and maybe you'll get some rain."
Record highs of 92, 93 degrees yesterday and this moron is saying he "hopes it'll warm up"???
If I were to post just exactly what I'm thinking JR would have every reason to ban me. Suffice it to say it's every 'expletive deleted' I know. Instead I'm going to post a thread asking for prayer for both firefighters and for the people who lost homes. Maybe by that time I'll have my anger under control.
2jedismom, does this qualify for a ping to the Oklahoma ping list?
Hey, do you have a link for where this was info came from? I may need it in order to give info on the Prayer Request thread.
Please do.
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