Oklahoma Is Burning!

Wildfires have been burning across central Oklahoma all afternoon. The sun has just set and many major fires are still burning out of control. High winds have spread the flames faster than firefighters can stop them, and preventing Chinook helicopters from dropping water from above.

The fires range in size from major fires to huge fires burning acres-per-minute. They run all through central Oklahoma from south to north from Gainesville TX just north of Dallas on the OK/TX border, north to our area 40 miles from the Kansas border. I-35 near the Stillwater exit has been shut down since the afternoon, and I-35 has also been closed south of Oklahoma City.

Fires are showing up on satellite from TX to KS throughout central & western Oklahoma. The fires are affecting areas where many Indian families live, as well as ranchers & farmers. Sections of the state including Choctaw, Chickasaw, Kiowa and Cheyenne tribal lands are on fire, as well as other areas. There are so many areas on fire right now that we don't even know where are all them are located, but the news is reporting at least 22 MAJOR fires right now.

An unknown number of houses, estimated at 40-50 homes, have burned down in Midwest City since 6 pm. It appears hundreds of homes have been damaged. Midwest City is a large community on the eastern side of Oklahoma City around Tinker Air Force Base, near where we used to live. The Midwest City Fire Chief said the situation is worse than the May 3, '99 tornado (319 mph winds) as far as property damage. Luckily however, there is no known loss of life right now, unlike the May 3 tornado, which took many lives. That is likely to change as night falls, as firefighters battle in the dark. Several firefighters have already been reported injured, and residents treated for smoke inhalation.

People are being evacutated from homes, neighborhoods & entire towns throughout the fire zones. Fires have burned telephone & utility poles and presently at sundown some 6000+ people are without power.

Winds have been from 25 - 40 mph with gusts to nearly 70 mph all day. Winds have caused the fire west of Stillwater to jump a mile ahead at a time. A wind shift coming through the state is going to make the situation worse, as these winds shift the out-of-control fires to previously unburned areas with fresh fuel. A 4" natural gas line has broken & is flaring up at one fire.

Please keep these firefighters and families in your prayers. The situation becomes more dangerous as darkness falls and the winds are not dying down. Many people have lost everything they owned this afternoon and many Oklahoma families will be left homeless when the smoke clears. Red Cross has set up shelters in these areas and several are reported crowed already.

If you can afford to donate a few dollars to Red Cross to help the hundreds of victims, please specify your donations for the Oklahoma Wildfire victims.