Wildfires spread across Oklahoma as winds up to 50 mph add to dangers

Strong winds of 40mph to 50mph on Tuesday in Oklahoma left firefighters hoping for relief from the growing number of wildfires in the state.

The Oklahoma Forestry Services put it this way—-“Verry-high fire danger” will be present with “extreme fire risk in far western Oklahoma.” The “verry” was not a typo. It’s how the department put the situation.

The arrival of a cool front Tuesday night was expected to lower the wildfire risk, but a Red Flag Warning remained in effect into the evening hours.

The Forestry Services said the highest fire danger indices of the year would develop ahead of the cold front. It also cautioned firefighters to be aware of the arrival of the front as it could cause a dangerous shift in the direction of the spreading fire and result in what it labeled as “erratic fire behavior.”

The agency also warned that significant fires of 5,000 acres or more had a high potential on Tuesday and especially in northwest Oklahoma. One large fire was battled near Fort Supply on Tuesday. According to the Forestry Services, one of the largest was in Cherokee County. The Nature Fire near Tahlequah burned 3,750 Acres and as of Tuesday was only 30% contained. The site is about 8 miles north of Tahlequah.

The following list is of the fires and their acreages.

OFS STATISTICS for February 26, 2024 OFS Preparedness Level: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5
NE Area – 13 Fires Burned 701.4 Acres (Cause: 1-Escaped Controlled Burn, 1-Escaped Debris, 1-Equipment, 10-Incendiary)
EC Area – 5 Fires Burned 2,062 Acres (Cause: 1-Escaped Control Burn, 1-Escaped Debris, 3-Incendiary)
SE Area – 1 Fires Burned 50 Acres (Cause: 1-Incendiary)
Large / Significant Fire Activity within the OFS Protection Area:
• Sellers North Fire (Cherokee County) – 240 Acres / 60% Contained
• Lee Creek Fire (Adair County) – 217 Acres / 50% Contained
• Boiling Springs East Fire (Latimer County) – 500 acres / 60% Contained
• Studebaker Fire (Latimer County) – 187 Acres / 75% Contained
• Nature Fire (Cherokee County) – 3,750 Acres / 30% Contained
• North 4240 Rd. Fire (Choctaw County) – 215 Acres / 35% Contained
• Fall Branch Fire (Adair County) – 200 Acres / 100% Contained
• North Bryant Fire (Cherokee County) – 260 Acres / 50% Contained
• Soap Mountain Fire (Adair County) – 227 Acres / 85% Contained
• Red Oak Mountain Fire (Latimer County) – 799 Acres / 85% Contained
• Clearfork Fire (Adair County) – 210 Acres / 80% Contained
• Pine Ridge Fire (Adair County) – 130 Acres / 85% Contained
• Rock Station Fire (Latimer County) – 390 Acres / 70% Contained
• Possum Hollow Fire (Atoka County) – 507 Acres / 35% Contained
• 5 Mile Hollow Fire (Delaware County) – 300 Acres / 80% Contained
• McNally Corner Fire (Pittsburg County) – 158 Acres / 50% Contained
• 4490 Road Fire (Sequoyah County) – 126 Acres / 60% Contained
• Bobcat Ridge Fire (Latimer County) – 535 Acres / 95% Contained
• Mountain Fork Fire (McCurtain County) – 400 Acres / 100% Contained
• Round Prairie Fire (Latimer County) – 715 Acres / 100% Contained
• Fall Branch Fire (Adair County) – 200 Acres / 100% Contained
Fire Activity with OFS Response outside of the Protection Area: 4 Fires Burned 8,755 Acres
• E1980 Rd Fire (Choctaw County) – 5,120 Acres / 30% Contained
• Marsh Fire (Dewey County) – 550 Acres / 10% Contained
• Sand Creek Fire (Harper County) – 2,385 Acres / 40% Contained
• Copenhaver Fire (Woods County) – 500 Acres / 50% Contained
OFS Prescribed Fire Activity: No New Activity
Fire Department Activity: Moderate to Heavy Initial Attack

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