The heat is jsut getting terrible. Everyday is a new record and this is around the country.
With all-time record heat and significant drought conditions, destructive wildfires exploded across parts of Oklahoma on Friday.
examiner/Dozens of counties reported wildfires with some of the worst hit areas in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Canadian and Caddo, according to KFOR-TV.
Emergency officials reported at least 12 different wildfires around the state, with more than 100 homes destroyed in parched areas north and south of Oklahoma City and south of Tulsa.
The sheriff said at least 50 homes, a day care center and numerous outbuildings had burned in a wildfire that may have been deliberately set near Luther, a town about 20 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
Deputies were looking into reports about someone in a pickup truck who was seen throwing out newspapers that had been set on fire.
An estimated 40 structures were destroyed by a wildfire near Tulsa with at least 25 other structures, including a handful of homes wiped out near Noble, about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Hundreds of residents were told to leave their homes as the flames spread through treetops.
The Cleveland County wildfire near Slaughterville prompted an estimated 100 to 150 people to evacuate their homes, an American Red Cross official said.
The wildfires and smoke led the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to shut down part of the Turner Turnpike, which carries Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Traffic was rerouted onto old U.S. Route 66, the famed two-lane highway that crisscrosses Oklahoma.
With moderate to extreme drought conditions covering the entire state, firefighters had a hard time completely dousing the hot spots with wildfires reigniting in areas that were previously blanketed by fires.
Some firefighter crews were forced to abandon their posts because of the fast moving flames.
All this was going on with all-time record heat across parts of Oklahoma Friday afternoon with widespread 105-plus degree temperatures.
The National Weather Service reported Oklahoma City tied its all-time hottest day on record with a high of 113 degrees. The record was previously set way back on August 11, 1936.
Guthrie was one of the hottest spots in the state, hitting 114 degrees, where a 75-year-old bridge reportedly buckled under the heat.
The extremely hot temperatures, drought conditions and very low humidity combined for the explosion wildfire conditions, said Michelann Ooten, deputy director of the state's Office of Emergency Management.
The high fire weather conditions are forecast to continue through the weekend.
A state of emergency and statewide burn ban are in effect for the extreme weather conditions across Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin announced.
examiner/Dozens of counties reported wildfires with some of the worst hit areas in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Canadian and Caddo, according to KFOR-TV.
Emergency officials reported at least 12 different wildfires around the state, with more than 100 homes destroyed in parched areas north and south of Oklahoma City and south of Tulsa.
The sheriff said at least 50 homes, a day care center and numerous outbuildings had burned in a wildfire that may have been deliberately set near Luther, a town about 20 miles northeast of Oklahoma City.
Deputies were looking into reports about someone in a pickup truck who was seen throwing out newspapers that had been set on fire.
An estimated 40 structures were destroyed by a wildfire near Tulsa with at least 25 other structures, including a handful of homes wiped out near Noble, about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Wildfires breakout across parts of Oklahoma Friday afternoon. (August 3, 2012)
Photo credit:
(News 9)
The Cleveland County wildfire near Slaughterville prompted an estimated 100 to 150 people to evacuate their homes, an American Red Cross official said.
The wildfires and smoke led the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to shut down part of the Turner Turnpike, which carries Interstate 44 between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Traffic was rerouted onto old U.S. Route 66, the famed two-lane highway that crisscrosses Oklahoma.
With moderate to extreme drought conditions covering the entire state, firefighters had a hard time completely dousing the hot spots with wildfires reigniting in areas that were previously blanketed by fires.
Some firefighter crews were forced to abandon their posts because of the fast moving flames.
All this was going on with all-time record heat across parts of Oklahoma Friday afternoon with widespread 105-plus degree temperatures.
The National Weather Service reported Oklahoma City tied its all-time hottest day on record with a high of 113 degrees. The record was previously set way back on August 11, 1936.
Guthrie was one of the hottest spots in the state, hitting 114 degrees, where a 75-year-old bridge reportedly buckled under the heat.
The extremely hot temperatures, drought conditions and very low humidity combined for the explosion wildfire conditions, said Michelann Ooten, deputy director of the state's Office of Emergency Management.
The high fire weather conditions are forecast to continue through the weekend.
A state of emergency and statewide burn ban are in effect for the extreme weather conditions across Oklahoma, Gov. Mary Fallin announced.
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