Above: The National Weather Service issued this map at 1:45 p.m. today, saying: “Wildfire north of Woodward. People in outlined area should evacuate per county emergency management.”
(UPDATE at 4:37 p.m. MDT, April 5, 2016)
Very strong winds are leading to extreme fire behavior in northwest Oklahoma.
I just watched a replay on NEWS9.com of a road grader that had been putting in fire line get stuck as it tried to go up a slope to get on a road. The operator spent several seconds trying to get the machinery unstuck as the fire bore down. The flames were actually impinging on the grader as the operator jumped out the door and ran over to a reporter’s vehicle and got inside. By then the flames were pouring over the hood of that vehicle as the reporter quickly backed away. Apparently the grader operator was not injured.
Below is the video of the grader burnover.
News9.com – Oklahoma City, OK – News, Weather, Video and Sports |
New9 occasionally has live reports from the multiple fires.
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(Originally published at 2:14 p.m. MDT, April 5, 2016)
Authorities in Oklahoma are warning residents northeast of Woodward to evacuate. A fire between Woodward and Freedom is spreading quickly toward the northeast pushed by a strong wind.
The fire is about 122 miles northwest of Oklahoma City and 134 miles southwest of Wichita, Kansas.
OFS has dispatched two SEATS and two CL-415 (Super Scoopers) to multiple large fires located in Woodward County. …
Posted by Oklahoma Forestry Services on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
I believe the green line that the fire crosses in the map below is the southeast corner of Harper County. Most of the fire is in Woodward County. Click on the map to see a slightly larger version.
#OFSFireResponse Map of the Woodward Co fire.
Posted by Oklahoma Forestry Services on Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Massive #wildfire north of Woodward, OK. #OklahomaWeather pic.twitter.com/hkd4pEz9HJ
— Cameron Carver (@watch4bears) April 5, 2016
