Oklahomans survey devastation after hundreds of homes are destroyed and damaged by wildfires

DALLAS (AP) — As Oklahomans assessed the devastation from wildfires that whipped crossed the state, damaging oregon destroying hundreds of homes, officials successful some Oklahoma and Texas warned Sunday of an accrued hazard of occurrence information successful the coming week.

“We’re going to beryllium backmost into a captious area,” Oklahoma Forestry Services spokesperson Keith Merckx said Sunday.

Nearly 300 homes and structures were damaged oregon destroyed arsenic much than 130 wildfires were reported crossed the authorities connected Friday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said astatine a Saturday quality conference. Officials said Sunday that astatine slightest 2 radical had died due to the fact that of the terrible upwind successful Oklahoma.

Jeremy Cook was among the residents successful Stillwater, a metropolis of astir 50,000 located astir 65 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City, who returned location Saturday greeting to find that his location was gone. Cook told The Oklahoman that erstwhile his household fled Friday, they loaded up 3 cars with photographs, pets, books and paintings.

After returning to find his location burned to the foundation, helium said helium was going backmost and distant “between laughing and crying.”

A preliminary number recovered that slightest 50 homes and structures were destroyed oregon damaged successful Stillwater arsenic aggregate fires broke out, occurrence Chief Terry Essary said astatine a quality league Saturday. The fires dispersed rapidly and crews had trouble containing each 1 due to the fact that of the precocious winds and debased humidity. He said they rapidly became overwhelmed.

“Nobody has capable resources to combat fires erstwhile the upwind is blowing 70 mph,” Essary said. “It's an insurmountable task.”

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said Sunday that 2 radical person been killed arsenic a effect of the upwind and wildfires. She said 1 idiosyncratic died successful Garfield County successful a conveyance mishap owed to mediocre visibility owed to particulate oregon fume and that a antheral had besides died successful Lincoln County.

Deborah Ferguson told News 9 that her husband, Allen Ferguson, was killed successful Lincoln County. She said that her hubby and her 15-year-old lad had been warring a wildfire successful a pasture connected Friday and arsenic they fled connected a four-wheeler, it crashed into a histrion amid dense smoke. She said her lad was severely burned and is hospitalized.

Erin O’Connor, a spokesperson with the Texas A&M Forest Service, said the portion connected Friday had the “perfect look for wildfires” with precocious winds, adust conditions and supra mean temperatures. She said that little upwind connected Sunday had helped crews get a grip connected the fires but that much occurrence enactment was expected this coming week.

One of the largest fires successful Texas presently had burned astir 14 quadrate miles (36 quadrate kilometers) adjacent Fredericksburg, westbound of Austin, but was 40% contained by Sunday, she said.

The winds that swept crossed Texas and Oklahoma were truthful beardown that they turned implicit respective tractor-trailers. Authorities person said 3 radical were killed successful car crashes during a particulate tempest caused by precocious winds successful the Texas Panhandle connected Friday.

After touring the harm successful Stillwater and Mannford, a metropolis of astir 3,000 located astir 20 miles (32 kilometers) westbound of Tulsa, connected Saturday, Stitt went connected to survey the harm astatine his ranch extracurricular of Oklahoma City, wherever his location determination had burned to the ground.

“We’ll beryllium rebuilding with the remainder of Oklahoma,” Stitt said successful a video posted connected X. “You ne'er deliberation it’s going to hap to your spot and these wildfires conscionable travel retired of obscurity and tin truly instrumentality over.”