Fires break out in Texas and Oklahoma

On the above photo the red squares indicate heat from a wildfire detected by a satellite at 1:39 p.m. CST, January 30, 2016.  At that time the fire was two to three miles south of Eula, Texas.

Strong winds and low relative humidities have promoted the growth of several large wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma. One of the blazes causing evacuations, the High Line Fire, is about 12 miles southeast of Abiline, Texas, north of highway 36 and two to three miles south of Eula.

The National Weather Service announced at about 6 p.m. on Saturday that an evacuation has been requested for the Eula area.

Several structures have already caught fire. Residents are urged to evacuate to the north toward Interstate 20. Evacuation shelters have also been set up at the Eula High School, and the First Baptist Church in Clyde. The Red Cross will be on scene at these locations after 6 p.m.

A spokesperson from the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office said the suspected cause is a power line.

Portions of west Texas and Oklahoma are under a wildfire Red Flag Warning.

A fire 20 to 25 miles south of Oklahoma City, southwest of Norman between Blanchard and Goldsby is also causing problems. It put up a large amount of smoke that was detected on weather radar, which is represented by the color blue on the map below.