This story was updated Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 7:15 p.m. to add information about evacuations.
More than half of Oklahoma’s counties are under burn bans as dry, windy conditions continue and more than a dozen wildfires and many smaller fires burn throughout the state.
Some northern Oklahoma residents ordered to evacuate
In northern Oklahoma, the National Weather Service issued evacuation orders for parts of Payne, Logan, Lincoln and Kingfisher Counties.
Keith Merckx, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Forestry Services Euchee Creek, said the Euchee Creek Fire in Payne County has burned between 2,500 and 3,000 acres. Air assistance has been called for this fire and for the Cimarron Bend Fire in Logan and Kingfisher Counties.
Officials urge residents NOT to drive into smoke.
Here are where people were ordered to evacuate:
- Twin Lakes, north of Cashion. Residents of the area were ordered to evacuate to a gas station at the intersection of Highways 33 and 74.
- Residents living northeast of Cushing in the Schlegel Road area of Payne County were told to evacuate to the north.
- People south of Wellston near Sunset Drive, Summer Tree Lane and up to County Road 970 were told to evacuate.
- People just south of Pawhuska were asked to evacuate. The affected area is bordered by LB May Drive, Skyline Drive, Lynn Ave and Farrell Ave.
Edmond fire officials are asking motorists to avoid the area around I-35 and Covell Road while fire teams respond to a grass fire.
Wichita Wildlife Refuge remains closed as large fire continues to burn
The Rush Fire continues to burn on the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, although officials say fire teams are making progress.
The Rush Fire, so named because it started near Rush Lake, started Friday and has since burned around 13,000 acres of the refuge’s special use area. As of Wednesday afternoon, the fire was nearly 50% contained.
The special use area is for protecting animals and their habitats, not for public use. However, the public parts of the refuge, including Mount Scott and the Holy City, are closed to make room for firefighters and avoid safety hazards.
After days of impaired air quality, the communities near the fire are seeing good air quality overall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Good air quality is forecast for the next three days, although nearby residents can still expect periods of visible smoke
Relief could be in sight
Over the past 60 days, most of the state has received less than half the rainfall it normally does this time of year. But starting Wednesday, Oklahoma is expected to receive above average rainfall. That’s especially true in the northeastern part of the state, where 6 inches are forecast to fall over the coming week.
State climatologist Gary McManus writes that the slight risk of severe weather could create its own problems because of Oklahoma’s recent battles with drought. It’s the driest October on record in Oklahoma history, and more than half of the state is in severe drought conditions.
Due to “the hard-baked nature of our soils due to drought, we will definitely need to be on the lookout for flash flooding,” he wrote on the Oklahoma Mesonet’s website.
Resources
The Oklahoma Forestry Services’ most recent fire situation report
The Oklahoma Forestry Services’ most recent burn ban map
NASA’s FIRMS US/Canada fire map
The National Weather Service’s fire weather map
Federal Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program map and smoke outlooks
