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- Hundreds of homes destroyed in Oklahoma wildfires (abcnews.go.com)
Oklahoma Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Homes, Claim One Life
Oklahoma City, OK – Devastating wildfires ripped through Oklahoma on Friday, fueled by extreme fire weather conditions. Nearly 300 homes and structures were destroyed and over 170,000 acres burned, forcing widespread evacuations. Tragically, one person died in a vehicle accident after driving into smoke-filled conditions.
Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed the fatality and praised the state’s alert system, which facilitated early evacuations. “Our alert system worked better than ever,” Stitt stated.
“Unlike tornadoes, we got everybody evacuated, so we don’t have any reports of fatalities from homes, but the damage is unbelievable.” The governor also revealed he personally lost a farmhouse in the fires.
Describing the conditions that led to the rapid spread of the fires, Stitt said, “It was a perfect storm. Humidity levels dropped to record lows, below 10%, and the winds dried everything out.”
Firefighting efforts are ongoing, with crews from Louisiana and Arkansas arriving to assist. Stitt expressed optimism about containing the fires within the next few days, though he acknowledged some risk of resurgence early next week. A state of emergency has been declared for twelve Oklahoma counties.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center had warned of “near historic” fire conditions in the Plains, with red flag and high wind warnings issued across several states. Very dry, warm, and windy conditions created extreme fire weather across Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Multiple large wildfire complexes burned across central, northern, and western Oklahoma on Friday evening. The National Weather Service in Norman urged evacuations near Lake Carl Blackwell due to an “extremely dangerous” complex of fires.
In neighboring Texas, the Windmill Fire consumed an estimated 11,000 acres in Roberts County before forward progression was stopped. It was reported as 50% contained Friday evening. Another blaze, the Rest Area Fire in Gray County, prompted mandatory evacuations and burned an estimated 3,000 acres, reaching 30% containment.
Adding to the hazardous conditions, dust storms reduced visibility and led to several crashes in northwest Texas and Oklahoma. The Texas Department of Public Safety warned of “dangerous conditions” due to blowing dust, and the NWS in Norman issued similar warnings for parts of northwest Oklahoma.
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