The video below has some interesting footage of fires burning in Logan County, Oklahoma. Near the beginning it shows someone operating a small tractor with a blade, straddling the flaming edge which has flame lengths of one to four feet. It appeared that his efforts were futile, since flames were still visible at times behind him on the unburned side of the fireline. It is hard to believe there was not some damage done to the tractor — or the operator.
Three blazes in the area burned a total of about 1,300 acres, destroyed several structures, and required the closure of an interstate highway.
Fire Aviation has a video showing two National Guard Blackhawk helicopters dropping water on one of the fires.
Below is an excerpt from an article at News9:
A voluntary evacuation order was issued for residents living east of Choctaw Rd., north of Prairie Grove Rd. all the way to highway 105 and on the north, as well as at Triple X Rd. on the east; a total of approximately four square miles, including the town of Meridian, Okla. The evacuation order was lifted just after 5:30 p.m.
The Oklahoma Red Cross opened a wildfire evacuation center at the First Christian Church, located at 402 E. Noble, in Guthrie.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) had to shut down Interstate 35 in both directions, at mile marker 163, due to multiple car crashes in the area caused by the wild fire crossing the highway. Troopers reopened I-35 in both directions around 4:30 p.m. The highway was closed for approximately one hour and fourteen minutes.
The first fire started in the area of Hiwassee in Guthrie and stretched to Henney Rd. in Coyle. Firefighters contained the fire shortly after it began. Then a second fire sparked in the area of Redland Rd. and County Road 0730. A third fire flared up just south of Seward Rd., about two miles west of I-35.
