A state of emergency has been declared for three Oklahoma counties impacted by wildfires: Beaver, Texas and Woodward counties.
That declaration was made on Wednesday morning after two days of firefights in the northwest part of Oklahoma and in the state’s Panhandle. The State Emergency Operations Center was activated on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service’s fire outlook for Wednesday stretched even further into the state, with the Panhandle and far northwestern Oklahoma still in critical status and the Oklahoma City metro area — even as far east as Tulsa — in an elevated status.
SPC Day 1 Fire Wx Outlook
There have been evacuations due to fires in the most impacted areas. Here is a list of evacuation locations:
Cheyenne & Arapaho ERC, Woodward, OK
Mooreland Community Centers, 105 SE Fifth St., Mooreland, OK
Mooreland United Methodist Church, 302 S. Elm, Mooreland, OK
Beaver County Emergency Management issued evacuation orders yesterday for the Gate community as the Ranger Road Fire broke out in the area. Several outbuildings were lost before it was over.
Texas County had a rough day as well. The town of Tyrone was placed under evacuation orders due to the Stevens fire, and if that wasn't enough, a second fire ignited nearby. That one was touched off by a seven-vehicle accident on US 54. By the end of the day, the two fires had combined to destroy five structures in the county.
Woodward County received some relief yesterday, as evacuation orders for the area were lifted following the 43 Fire. Three structures were destroyed in that fire, including two located at a USDA facility.
In all:
Ranger Road Fire, Beaver County - 145,000 acres burned in Oklahoma and Kansas
Stevens Fire, Texas County - 5,000 acres burned
Side Road Fire, Texas County - 3,300 acres burned
43 Road Fire, Woodward County - 2,000 acres burned
Four firefighters were injured in the wildfires on Tuesday. This from KVII in Amarillo:
Four firefighters were injured battling wildfires in the Oklahoma panhandle.
The Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management said Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported a fire truck from the Rosston Volunteer Fire Department overturned in Beaver County, injuring three firefighters.
And there was this reminder for Wednesday from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management:
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