Risk of wildfire outbreak in Oklahoma this week as high winds, dry conditions approach

Yahoo

12-03-2025

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Firefighters across Oklahoma are on high alert as officials warn of an increasing probability of a 'wildfire outbreak' later this week, with near hurricane-strength winds and not much rain in the forecast.The Oklahoma City Fire Department says it's already shaping up to be a busy week.'We're off and running on wildfires now,' said Scott Douglas with the Oklahoma City Fire Department.
Firefighters warn of high fire danger as area experiences numerous brush fires
Meteorologists expect strong winds to sweep across the state on Friday, combining with low humidity to create ideal conditions for wildfires.'We're really looking at the high winds and the low humidity,' Douglas said. 'Those are two factors that we're looking at for the high, high wildfire danger days.'McIntyre Law Chopper 4 saw it play out almost two weeks ago in a northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood, where neighbors jumped in to stop a fire from burning their homes down.Now, Oklahoma Forestry Services is warning that the fire risk is only growing.'There is an increasing probability' of a 'wildfire outbreak' across the region, particularly on Friday, the agency said.'We expect any fire that starts on that day to be extremely difficult to control,' said Oklahoma Forestry Services Director, Mark Goeller.Douglas says even the smallest spark could be enough to start a wildfire.'Even a tiny spark, a discarded cigarette, you know, sparks coming from a trailer chain—anything that can create a spark and land in this dry vegetation has a capability of becoming a large wildfire,' said Douglas.Even a car can be a fire hazard.Last year, McIntyre Law Chopper 4 captured Oklahoma City police cruisers bursting into flames after parking on tall grass during a chase.'We've even had some outdoor welders that were welding on a fence,' Douglas said. 'And these sparks were flying over some dead grass, and then we were taking off on a large grass fire.'This week, the fire department is bringing in special wildfire task force teams to stay ahead of the danger.
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'We have 16 front-line brush pumpers. We have several other reserve brush pumpers. We have five tankers across the city,' said Douglas.'If we can reach to the head of the fire and get it knocked down, then we work our way back towards the flanks,' he said.Fire officials say there are several steps people can take to reduce their wildfire risk:• Clean up any dry brush or dead plants around your house.• Have a go-bag ready in case you need to evacuate.• Know two ways to get off your property.• Absolutely no sparks, no flames outside—no exceptions.'So many people get tunnel vision on their grill, and then they walk in for a second, and some charcoal falls off onto some dead grass,' Douglas said. 'It just doesn't take much for these wildfires to grow. So our biggest message is no sparks. OKC, please pay attention to what you're doing outside.'Firefighters also recommend that residents, especially those in rural areas, make sure their address is clearly visible from the road. They say that could save critical seconds in an emergency.
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