Blaze blackens Beckham County
By Josh Rabe and Chad Previch
The Oklahoman
A Beckham County wildfire scorched miles of prairie and farmland and threatened homes Thursday afternoon, as another fire burned areas of Rogers County.
The Beckham County fire broke out about 1:30 p.m. Thursday about four miles west of Erick, Sheriff Scott Jay said. Flames left a swath of destruction seven miles long and two miles wide, destroying one home and several barns and abandoned farm houses, Jay said.
It took firefighters from Beckham County, Roger Mills County, the U.S. Forestry Service and several Texas fire departments until 6 p.m. to extinguish most of the flames. A National Guard helicopter dumped water on the blaze from above using nearby creeks.
“We could hardly stay in front of it it was moving so fast,” Jay said.
He said the fire spread quickly northeast through dry grass and trees, pushed by 40 mph winds. Although the fire started in a populated area, firefighters were able to save all but one home before the fire moved into more remote areas, Jay said.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag fire warning until 6 p.m. Thursday but canceled a fire watch it had issued for this afternoon. However, unseasonably warm temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are expected to continue today, increasing the risk of wildfire.
Firefighters in northeastern Oklahoma also were busy Thursday. They fought a square-mile fire investigators say is suspicious and that injured a man, Rogers County Emergency Management spokesman John Wylie said.
About 12:45 p.m., firefighters received a call to a rural area in the county, Wylie said. Smoke could be seen about six miles away. It took 25 fire companies from three counties to extinguish the fire about 2:55 p.m.
“Everybody who is certified to fight fire who could come out there ... was there,” Wylie said.
The man was injured when he tried to put out the fire, Wylie said. He was taken to Claremore Regional Hospital and treated for heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation.
His injuries aren’t life-threatening, Wylie said.
Wylie said a Talala fire truck was heavily damaged in the fire. It crashed while surrounded in heavy smoke.
A red flag alert, which asks residents not to burn, had been issued for the area, Wylie said.
The fire is considered suspicious because there were multiple starting points. Wylie said it’s possible it started from a motorist throwing flammable materials out a window. Anyone with information can call the Northwest Rogers County Fire Protection District at (918) 443-2471.
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