34 Complex of Fires Archives

Two very large wildfires in Western Oklahoma winding down after burning 348,000 acres

Above: Water tenders on the 34 Complex of Fires. Posted to Inciweb April 19, 2018.

The two very large wildfires in Western Oklahoma are downsizing their staffing as they move closer to full containment. Few smoking areas have been observed on recent overflights.

The larger of the two, the Rhea Fire, has burned over 286,000 acres. There are currently 223 personnel assigned. The most significant event Monday was when resources responded to a new fire that started when a hawk flew into a power line, causing arcing and ignition of the grass. It was fully contained at 5 acres. T

The Incident Management Team is being released from the 34 Complex of Fires which has burned over 62,000 acres. On Monday there were still 186 personnel assigned who continue to patrol firelines.

The video below was filmed on the Rhea Fire by Mississippi firefighters while the blaze was still very active.

#Update More footage from the Rhea wildfire in Oklahoma taken by our MFC Wildland Firefighting Task Force Leader.#OKFire #wildfire #wildfires #Mississippi #Forestry #Oklahoma #RheaFire
Footage Credit: Korey Williams, Mississippi Forestry Commission pic.twitter.com/Xe9bzJU0Yo

— MSForestryCommission (@MSForestryComm) April 19, 2018

Oklahoma wildfires: 34 Complex slows, Rhea continues to spread

Above: Map of the Rhea Fire, April 16, 2017. Incident Management Team.

Two wildfires that are 20 miles apart in Western Oklahoma have burned more than 316,000 acres and 63 residences.

The spread of the 34 Complex of Fires north of Woodward has slowed, but the strength of the firelines could be tested Tuesday with fire weather conditions called “historic”. The forecast includes winds out of the southwest at 35 to 45 mph with gusts up to 65 along with humidities as low as 7 percent.

map rhea 34 complex wildfires — Map showing heat detected by a satellite on the 34 Complex and Rhea Fires in Western Oklahoma, current at 2:22 a.m. CDT April 17, 2018. The satellite flying over the area twice a day can’t detect heat in light vegetation that burns and then cools before the next pass.

The same conditions will affect the huge Rhea Fire 20 miles south of the 34 Complex. Some areas of the 248,589-acre fire are quiet, but it was still spreading Monday east of Putnam (shown in red on the map above). Those active areas could be challenging for firefighters with the extreme weather predicted for the area Tuesday and Tuesday night.

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