While damage and loss assessments are underway in Oklahoma from wildfires that burned 155,000 acres of land this week, strong winds on Thursday caused more concern as nearly the entire state was under a Red Flag Warning. The total loss is 282,000 acres in the Oklahoma Panhandle and southwest Kansas after the fires swept across the state line.
Winds turned to the north Thursday morning but Oklahoma Climatologist Gary McManus explained the concern was the winds that started the day at W/SW.
“—that westerly component means it’s a downslope wind from off the higher elevations to the west. A downslope wind is problematic when it comes to fire weather because it’s a drying wind,” he explained in his Thursday Mesonet update.
“Winds will increase and veer northwest ahead of a cold
front today coupled with very dry air again across Oklahoma.
Relative humidity values in the teens are expected across most of
the state driving grass/leaf litter fuels to be very receptive.
Increased new wildfire occurrence with challenging firefighting
conditions will spur an increase in large fire potential (>300 acres) while a moderate potential for significant, or high-impact, fire occurrence concern has increased in central and northeastern counties. Wildfires currently on the landscape will be challenged with a different wind direction today presenting firefighters with continued resource commitment and potential for flare-ups on the southern flanks of active fires.”
The Division said some of the dangerous fires in the Panhandle are not under control.
Ranger Road Fire (Beaver/Harper Counties/Kansas): 283,283 Acres (est.) / 15% Contained
• Stevens Fire (Texas County / Kansas): 12,428 Acres / 50% Contained
• Side Road Fire (Texas County): 3,680 Acres / 60% Contained
• 43 Fire (Woodward County): 1,680 Acres / 30% Contained
Three firefighters injured in fighting the Beaver County fire are recovering from injuries when their tanker truck overturned and was burned. They were members of the Rosston Volunteer Fire Department.
The Oklahoma Mesonet was among the victims of the damaging “43 Fire” in Woodward county where one of its sites was burned.
Wichita, Kansas TV station KWCH reported several of the fires that started in the Oklahoma Panhandle and swept into southwest Kansas were still being fought.
“Storm Team 12 reported that over a 24-hur stretch from about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday to 6:30 a.m. Thursday, the Stevens and Side Road fires, impacting areas in the Oklahoma panhandle and portions of Seward County burned more than 16,000 acres. The Stevens Fire, that’s burned more than 12,400 acres, is about 50% contained, as of Thursday morning. The Side Road Fire is about 60% contained after burning more than 3,600 acres.”
Winds gusting to 70 miles an hour across the Oklahoma Panhandle and into southwest Kansas forced an air tanker known as Air Tanker 95, used in fighting the wildfires, to be grounded.
The wildfires also resulted in the deaths of a large number of cattle caught in the flames that raced across large pastures in southwest Kansas.
The Wichita Eagle reported one rancher in Clark County lost 300 head of cattle while others say the county’s total losses could be close to 1,000.
