Prayers for rain in OK and TX.
Is this wildfire related?
Nearing downtown OKC.
900 volunteer fire departments throughout the general area.
Still manpower is in short supply. Volunteers from other states are helping.
30-35 mph gusts of wind. Warm temps (mid 60's) for this time of year.
Prayers for rain.
I just slammed this into Extended..
Evacuations orders in effect in portions of Oklhoma City..
Grass Fires Break Out Across Oklahoma
By ASHLEY GIBSON, Associated Press Writer
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060102/ap_on_re_us/grass_fires
OKLAHOMA CITY - A rash of grass fires broke out Sunday afternoon across Oklahoma, fueled by unseasonably dry conditions and wind gusts of more than 50 miles per hour.
Oklahoma City firefighters responded to at least 15 grass fires in the metro area Sunday afternoon that burned more than 100 acres, said Oklahoma City Fire Major Brian Stanaland.
A few homes suffered minor exterior damage in northeast Oklahoma City after some power lines arced and caught some grass on fire. While firefighters battled that blaze, high winds blew up some construction material from a nearby construction site that hit the power lines, caught on fire and landed on a nearby nursing home, Stanaland said.
"You basically had flying, flaming debris," Stanaland said. "Luckily, we were already on the scene putting out the fires when it happened so we were able to put it out. We were very, very lucky."
No injuries or major structure damage were immediately reported in Oklahoma City.
At least a dozen wildfires continued to burn across Oklahoma on Sunday evening, including a large blaze near Guthrie that threatened several homes, said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
"We have reports of a dozen fires that continue to burn across the state, and we know there are more than that," she said.
A fire near Wainwright in Muskogee County charred several thousand acres and was at least one-mile wide, but no injuries or structure fires were reported, said Bill Beebe, an information officer at a statewide command center established in Shawnee.
Army National Guard helicopters that were used to battle blazes over the weekend were grounded Sunday afternoon because of high winds and limited visibility, Ooten said.
A grass fire near Guthrie forced the closure of both the north and southbound lanes of Interstate 35 for more than an hour, said Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Pete Norwood.
State Highways 33 and 105 near Guthrie remained closed Sunday afternoon because of smoke that limited visibility, Norwood said.
A grass fire also was reported Sunday afternoon near Bristow in northeast Oklahoma and another near Wellston in Lincoln County that threatened about 30 homes.
Meanwhile, firefighters and state emergency officials across the state continued to monitor areas that were scorched by wildfires over the weekend, while urging Oklahomans to comply with the statewide burn ban.
The major hot spots were in Bennington, Bristow and Pink, where grassfires charred hundreds of acres on Saturday, Ooten said.
"We are reminding the people that they should be extremely careful in any outdoor activity today," she said. "And remember that any firework activity is illegal, and taking a chance means putting Oklahomans, their homes and firefighters at risk."
High winds, record-high temperatures and drought-like conditions across much of the state increased the fire danger to critical levels.
"Weather conditions are gearing up," Ooten said. "We're working with military departments to make sure they have supplies on standby, and we are still receiving firefighters from Alabama and Tennessee."
Oklahoma has been locked in a dry spell, with winds easing at night and in the morning and then increasing in the afternoon. Dozens of fires began in the state Tuesday when winds gusted to more than 40 mph. The state is more than a foot behind its normal rainfall of about 36 inches for this time of year.
Officials declared a state of emergency for Oklahoma Friday because of wildfire conditions, sought a federal disaster declaration and enlisted firefighting help from other states.
The wildfires in the last week have ravaged more than 30,000 acres, destroyed nearly 100 homes and businesses, left one man dead and caused a handful of minor injuries.
I posted this in another thread, but I'll do it again.
Any OKC FReepers know if there are fires near the border of Del City and OKC? I've got a friend who lives off of 20th and Bryant, and I haven't been able to reach her for more than a day.
Thanks!
Mark
There is no rain in the forecast for the next week at least. Our yard has large cracks in it and I can't remember the last time I saw things looking this dry. The next idiot who throws a cigarette out a car window is going to get throttled if I see them!
Winds are still blowing heavy...looking outside this afternoon, the sun looked dirty from all the dirt in the air. By 4:30 the sky had started turning gray (was previously sunny) like there was a combination of smoke, dust, and other items in the air. We are 35 miles east of OKC (Shawnee area) and have heard reports of power lines down in Shawnee (we are just north of the Shawnee city limits) from the high winds, although I haven't heard confirmation of it.
I went to Tulsa last week. All along the interstate on both sides were burned areas that had started at the interstate showing the fires were probably started by thrown cigarettes.
The grass at my house is dry, dry, dry. I have all the water hoses hooked up and hope I don't need to fight fires anytime soon.
Prayers for everyone affected in OK & TX. Oh, and prayers for RAIN too!
Sooner Road and where?
this is getting me so scared. I live right outside of Dallas and we are so dry here it isn't funny. No sign of rain to come anytime soon and we are so warm. Today it was almost 80 for pete's sakes the first day of January! We need rain and we need it now. Please pray for all of us here in the OK/TX range.
Official on phone to CNN: It appears that the OKC file is 'contained' but not out.
They may have lost a couple of houses, but are now letting it burn itself out.
Prayers for our beloved freepers in Norman, OK
And only one network covering it!
I wish they could have some of the rain we're getting in CA's Central Valley.