http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/04/13115739-dozens-of-homes-destroyed-in-oklahoma-wildfires?lite
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183531/Oklahoma-wildfires-Hundreds-forced-flee-homes-raging-winds-spread.html
firefighters fight a grass fire, east of Norman, Oklahoma
California is battling a strip of fires along the northeast part of the state. This fire in Murrieta, Calif., is now 75 percent contained. (AP Photo/Mike Shelhart)
Dozens of homes destroyed in Oklahoma wildfires
A wildfire has consumed over 2,000 acres in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, burning buildings and forcing evacuations. NBCNews.com's Al Stirrett reports.
Updated at 4:30 p.m ET: At least 121 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed by wildfires in Oklahoma, officials said Saturday as temperatures topped 100 degrees for a 19th straight day.
A 2,600-acre grass fire near Luther consumed 56 structures and hot spots there and at two other large fires kept crews busy and some residents out of their homes.
Gov. Mary Fallin toured the Luther area on Saturday, calling the devastation "heartbreaking."
Authorities suspect that fire might be arson and are looking for a person seen throwing newspapers out a black pickup's window after setting them ablaze.
Residents returning to their homes Saturday found charred timbers poking from the debris and the burned out shells of refrigerators, washers and dryers.
"It makes me feel sad," said Victoria Landavazo, clutching a young child in her arms. "It's all gone. All of our family pictures, everything was there."
Tracy Streeper was working in Oklahoma City, about 40 miles southwest, when she learned the fire was approaching. Caught in traffic, it took her a long time to reach home and then, "once we got here, we had maybe 30 minutes."
She grabbed a few clothes, medicine and her three dogs and left quickly.
"Your adrenaline is running. You're pumped up," Streeper said. "You could just see a wall of flames coming this way. Everything was on fire."
Casey Strahan said he went outside after power went out in the home he rents about 4:30 p.m. He looked south and saw smoke rising in the distance. He thought it was moving away from him until police ordered him to leave. He rushed through the house, grabbing clothing, photos and a computer as he went. When he returned Saturday, he found the house burned to the ground.
"I just never thought it was really going to get us," said Strahan, a softball and girls basketball coach at Luther High School.
Fires near Mansford and Noble claimed another 65 structures.
Two new fires broke out on Saturday, and Oklahoma now is fighting 13 across the state, said Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker.
A state-wide burn ban was issued by Fallin on Friday.
Oklahoma has contacted neighboring states for help but, with the exception of Texas, neighbors have had to focus on their own fire threats, Fallin said on Friday.
"There's fires in Arkansas. There's fires in Kansas and Texas. Everybody else is on high heat alert," she said.
A home burns during a large wildfire Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 in Luther, Okla.
Oklahoma joins several states that have been plagued by wildfires this summer, including Colorado, Arkansas and Nebraska. Fires are being fed by a widespread drought. Nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States was under some level of drought as of July 31.
Low humidity, strong southerly winds and drought conditions enabled the wildfires to spread quickly across treetops, said Michelann Ooten, deputy director of the state's Office of Emergency Management.
"It's just a very difficult situation we're facing that's all weather related," Ooten said.
The heat in Oklahoma City, the state capital, has reached historic levels.
On Friday, Oklahoma City tied its all-time record for the highest temperature ever recorded when the thermometer reached 113 Fahrenheit, a mark last recorded in the Dust Bowl days in 1936.
It's so hot that some volunteer fire departments have made a public plea for Gatorade donations to keep their crews hydrated in the scalding conditions.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2183531/Oklahoma-wildfires-Hundreds-forced-flee-homes-raging-winds-spread.html
Hundreds forced to flee their homes as winds spread raging Oklahoma wildfires
- Freeway closed as residents of four counties told to evacuate
- Officials investigate reports fire was set deliberately
|
Wildfires whipped by gusty, southerly winds swept through rural woodlands north and south of Oklahoma City on Friday, burning dozens of homes as firefighters struggled to contain some of the fires amid 113-degree heat.
Hundreds of people were told to leave their homes in at least four counties, while smoke and flames prompted authorities to close parts of Interstate 44, the main roadway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and two state highways.
'A man refused to leave. From what I know, he wanted to protect his property, but your life has to be more valuable than property,' Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said on Friday night.
A wildfire swept through rural woodlands north and south of Oklahoma City on Friday, burning several homes as firefighters struggled to contain it in 113-degree heat
The sheriff said at least 25 homes, a daycare center and numerous outbuildings had burned in a fire that may have been deliberately set near Luther, a town about 20 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
Deputies were looking into reports about someone in a pickup truck who was seen throwing out newspapers that had been set on fire. By Friday night, the blaze had spread across 80 square miles.
About 40 structures were destroyed by a blaze near Tulsa.
And yet another blaze destroyed at least 25 structures, including a handful of homes, after starting near Noble, about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City, and moving toward Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma.
A home burns during a large wildfire in Luther, Oklahoma
A horse tries to escape a wildfire burning in the eastern part of the Cleveland County in Slaughter
'I loaded the kids up, grabbed my dogs, and it didn't even look like I had time to load the livestock, so I just got out of there,' said Bo Ireland, who lives a few miles from where the Noble-area fire started. 'It looked to me that, if the wind shifted even a little bit, I would be in the path of that fire. It was just too close.'
There were no immediate reports of injuries or livestock losses.
Dayle Bishop said he may not have made it out of his home had a woman not knocked on his door and woken him up. Standing in a convenience store parking lot about 2 miles away from his home, he was pessimistic about its chances.
'I know it's gone,' said Bishop, who works nights as a nurse. 'Didn't even have time to get anything out.' But he noted, 'it's just stuff.'
A helicopter drops water on a large grass fire near Cemetery Road, east of Norman, Oklahoma
Charles Wright was with his daughter, Christina, along with their cat, at a makeshift evacuation center doubling as a staging area for fire engines, ambulances and other emergency equipment. He said law enforcement ordered them to leave their home in Norman.
'Praying for miracles. Praying for the best, that's all we can do,' said Wright, who managed to pack some clothes, jewelry and legal papers before fleeing.
Ruth Hood splashed water onto two Chihuahua puppies that she grabbed along with several other animals and her children, and left as flames burned in her neighbor's yard. She said she couldn't be sure her home would survive.
'No guarantee,' Hood said.
With the ongoing drought, high temperatures and gusty winds, it took little for fires to begin and spread - and there was little crews could do to fight them.
firefighters fight a grass fire, east of Norman, Oklahoma
'It's difficult for the firefighters to get into the area because it's heavily wooded on either side of the smaller roads. When the winds are blowing 25 mph it just blows the embers and fireballs across the roads as if they weren't even there,' said Jerry Lojka with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
At mid-afternoon Friday, the temperature in Norman hit 113 degrees, and winds were gusting at 24 mph. 'I can tell you the temperatures and the wind are not helping the situation at all,' said Meghan McCormick, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland County Sheriff's office.
Russell Moore, 53, who lives in the Noble area, said he was outside in his yard when a sheriff's deputy drove down the road and told people to leave. He and his son went to a shelter set up at Noble City Hall.
'About all we saw was smoke and a little bit of ash raining down from the sky,' Moore said. 'Everybody was piling into their vehicles and leaving as we were.'
Lojka said helicopters were helping ground crews with a fire near Mannford and Drumright in Creek County. Helicopters from the National Guard and the Bureau of Indian Affairs were fighting a fire in Creek County.
The state was monitoring 11 fires by Friday afternoon. Gov. Mary Fallin announced a statewide burn ban as the fire danger heightened. She previously had announced a state of emergency for all 77 counties due to the extreme drought.
and ........
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/04/13115739-oklahomas-plea-for-help-falls-on-deaf-ears-as-wildfires-burn-out-of-control?lite
Oklahoma's plea for help falls on deaf ears as wildfires burn out of control
A wildfire has consumed over 2,000 acres in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, burning buildings and forcing evacuations. NBCNews.com's Al Stirrett reports.
Wildfires are burning out of control in Oklahoma, destroying homes and shutting down highways in a state that has suffered 18 straight days of 100-plus degree temperatures and persistent drought.
Emergency officials counted 12 different wildfires around the state, with at least 65 homes destroyed in parched areas north and south of Oklahoma City and south of Tulsa.
A state-wide burn ban was issued by Governor Mary Fallin Friday, according to a statement by Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
Fallin, who earlier in the day invoked a statewide ban on outdoor burning after declaring a state of emergency for the state's 77 counties, told Reuters fire conditions may be worse on Saturday.
"The fire danger might be even higher," she said.
No out-of-state help
Oklahoma has contacted neighboring states for help, but they are contending with their own wildfire threats and no out-of-state help is on its way, Fallin said.
Oklahoma has contacted neighboring states for help, but they are contending with their own wildfire threats and no out-of-state help is on its way, Fallin said.
"There's fires in Arkansas. There's fires in Kansas and Texas. Everybody else is on high heat alert," she said.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, saying there would be "critical fire weather conditions over much of northeast Oklahoma" Saturday.
"Any fires will quickly spread out of control and endanger lives and property," the warning said.
A home burns during a large wildfire Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 in Luther, Okla.
Oklahoma joins several states that have been plagued by wildfires this summer, including Colorado, Arkansas and Nebraska. Fires are being fed by a widespread drought.
Nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States was under some level of drought as of July 31.
No deaths were reported in the Oklahoma fires, but Interstate 44, the historic Route 66 and state highways were closed on Friday.
Low humidity, strong southerly winds and drought conditions enabled the wildfires to spread quickly across treetops, said Michelann Ooten, deputy director of the state's Office of Emergency Management.
"It's just a very difficult situation we're facing that's all weather related," Ooten said.
Fire departments appeal for Gatorade
The heat in Oklahoma City, the state capital, has reached historic levels.
The heat in Oklahoma City, the state capital, has reached historic levels.
On Friday, Oklahoma City tied its all-time record for the highest temperature ever recorded when the thermometer reached 113 Fahrenheit, a mark last recorded in the Dust Bowl days in 1936.
Volunteer fire departments have made a public plea for Gatorade donations to keep their crews hydrated in the scalding conditions.
The emergency management department statement said “as many as 40 structures have been destroyed” by a fire in Mannford, Creek County, while up to 25 had been destroyed by a fire affecting Noble and Slaughterville in Cleveland County.
In Ninnekah, Grady County, “numerous homes have been evacuated,” the statement said.
Other fires were reported in Oklahoma, Lincoln, Logan and Muskogee counties as well as Elk City in Roger Mills County, Ft. Cobb in Caddo County, Geary in Blaine County, Preston in Okmulgee County and Wewoka in Seminole County.
and wildfire news for Nebraska ......
http://www.examiner.com/article/dry-conditions-statewide-spark-fires-keith-county-neb
The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Mobile Operation Center and three agency staff members have deployed to Keith County to assist in response to fires. In addition, two Nebraska UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters left Lincoln on Friday afternoon. Thirteen National Guard soldiers were deployed. National Guard soldiers are also working with NEMA on a statewide fire watch because of dry condition across the state.
The State Fire Marshal’s Wildland Incident Response and Assistance Team began deploying to the fires Thursday evening.
Current conditions
Eagle Canyon Hideaway Fire - North from Brule to south shoreline of Lake McConaughy. Seven imminently threatened structures are reported with an additional 100 that could be in danger. Estimated burn of 2,500 to 3,000 acres. Not contained or controlled. Canyon terrain not accessible by ground firefighting.
Otter Creek Fire - North of Otter Creek lodge on the north side of Lake McConaughy is out of control and estimated to have burned 40,000 acres with areas of canyon terrain not accessible by ground firefighters.
McKeage Fire - Two miles north of the Keith/Arthur County Line on Highway 61 and four west was contained, but a new breakout was reported this morning with an estimated 3,000 acres.
Ackley Valley Fires - Part of Haythorn Ranch, six to 10 miles north of the north end of the Kingsley Dam on Highway 61 and then west. Estimate 6,000 acres in hilly terrain.
Parker Ranch Fire - Fire has been extinguished. Estimated burn area at 350 acres.
Glen Echo Fire - Northeastern area of Keith County and into McPherson County Estimated burn area at 7,500 acres. Areas of canyon and creek valley inaccessible for ground firefighting.
Nearly 60,000 acres have been affected by the Keith County Complex fire, according to Pete Peterson, director of Keith County Emergency Management.
The weather outlook for Keith County show the winds will remain below 25 miles per hour throughout Friday with expected cooler temperatures tonight. Strong winds from the north to northwest are forecasted to begin between 9 p.m. and midnight.
“While storms could bring rain that would help in the firefighting efforts, they also bring lightning, which could start fires this evening,” said Al Berndt, assistant director of NEMA. “We are working with Keith County firefighters and emergency managers to monitor the fire and assist as the response as much as possible.”
and actually wildfires have been breaking out lately in note just the numerous states in the southwest and midwest , but the northwest as well.....
California is battling a strip of fires along the northeast part of the state. This fire in Murrieta, Calif., is now 75 percent contained. (AP Photo/Mike Shelhart)
Ten new wildfires were reported yesterday, bringing the total to 33 large fires country-wide and raising the National Preparedness Level to 3.
NPL runs on a scale of 1 to 5. When 50 percent of the nation's Incident Management Teams are required to attend to the wildfires, it is designated as PL-3.
Large wildfires are currently raging in 13 different states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and have burned more than 223,000 acres.
Montana, Idaho and northeastern California are getting hit especially hard with scattered fires throughout the state. Unlike the wildfires that struck Colorado earlier this year, many of these fires are in mountainous areas or parks and pose little threat to homes.
But dry conditions and the forecast for lightning storms means the fires could grow, and more hot, dry weather is expected throughout the weekend for the northwest.
Several fires merged to form two major fires in Montana - the Rosebud Complex and the Elbow Pass Complex. Together, the fires have burned through more than 146,000 acres, according to InciWeb.org.
A strip of fires is forcing hundreds of evacuations as they make their way down northeastern California mountain ranges, where the terrain is especially burdensome for authorities fighting to contain the fires. The Chips Fire, 20 miles northwest of Quincy, Calif., is only 5 percent contained.
No comments:
Post a Comment