A wildfire rages in Oklahoma as thousands plead for evacuation in a small town
Warm, dry and windy weather in Oklahoma has fueled dozens of wildfires and prompted authorities to urge nearly a third of the residents of the small town of Woodward to evacuate.
Matt Lehenbauer, director of emergency management for Woodward and its nearly 12,000 residents, said the evacuation order covers about 4,000 people. It’s voluntary, he said, because Oklahoma prohibits mandatory evacuations.
The wildfire in Woodward, about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, is approaching “very serious,” Lehenbauer said, but has not yet entered a densely populated area of the city.
The fire that broke out in Beaver County at the bottom of the Oklahoma Panhandle, about 217 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, has burned about 15,000 acres, Oklahoma Forestry Services said.
“The fire in Beaver County continues to spread,” said Gov. Kevin Stitt in a statement. “Winds are gusting over 65 mph.”
Stitt said he was briefed by the State Emergency Management Agency, which tracks large fires, including the one in Texas County.
The fires were fueled in the western and northwestern parts of the country as unusually warm weather, which the National Weather Service predicted would reach 25 degrees above normal during the day, was joined by southwest winds of more than 60 mph.
It is not clear if there were any injuries or if any buildings were burnt.
The Beaver County fire on Tuesday crossed into Kansas, state forest officials said. Firefighting efforts are focused on the city of Englewood, the Kansas Forest Service said.
Gov. Laura Kelly issued an emergency declaration on Sunday warning of dangerous fire weather until Thursday.
An emergency response center in Kansas on Tuesday was staffed by personnel from the State Fire Marshal’s office, the Kansas Forest Service, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the state Department of Transportation, state officials said. Portions of Interstate 70 and US 50 were closed as wind-driven dust reduced visibility, Kansas officials said in a statement.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture said temperatures in the western part of the state could reach 85 degrees Wednesday.
The weather bureau in Norman, Oklahoma, said the fire weather could continue through at least Friday. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement that conditions will begin to weaken on Thursday as winds shift from southwest to northwest, bringing in cool air.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, new fires have broken out in Texas, New Mexico and Missouri as warm and dry air settles in the Central Plains following the weekend storm.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that more than 21 million people were under a hot weather watch, with strong winds and dry weather expected to create greater fire danger. Another 11 million were under red alerts, which warn of imminent severe weather, according to the agency.
