Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town

Raging wildfires burning small Oklahoman towns

Extreme drought and 19 days of triple-digit temperatures have sparked at least 15 large wildfires throughout Oklahoma, devastating communities, destroying scores of homes, shutting down highways and forcing thousands to evacuate.

• Wildfires have left the small town of Luther (pop: ~ 600) smoldering.
• The blazes have destroyed at least 130 structures in Creek County, west of Tulsa.
• Authorities ordered evacuations in the towns of Mannford (pop: ~3,000) and Glencoe (pop: ~ 600).
• Thousands of others are voluntarily abandoning their homes in Creek County as out-of-control wildfires continue spreading.
• The temperature was expected to soar to 113 degrees (45°C), said the National Weather Service.
• Oklahoma City tied its all-time record temperature of 113 degrees set in 1936 on Friday.
• The worsening drought and soaring heat are responsible for numerous devastating wildfires  in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and elsewhere in the past couple of months.

Oklahoma Drought Map, July 31, 2012. Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

“Heartbreaking.”

Gov. Fallin, who toured the smoldering town of Luther on Saturday, called the devastation “heartbreaking.”

“A lot of people were at work and didn’t realize how quickly the fire was moving,” she told Reuters. “It’s emotional. For the children, it’s very emotional to lose their possessions.”

State of Emergency Declared

Gov. Fallin declared a state of emergency on Monday for all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties due to the threats caused by extreme heat and dry conditions that continue to affect the entire state.

Contiguous United States Precipitation- Week Ending August 3, 2012. Source: HPRCC

About 80 percent of Continental United States was Abnormally Dry or in Drought Condition (D0 – D4) during the week ending August 3, 2012.

Related Posts – Latest

• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Half U.S. Corn in Very Poor or Poor Condition Posted July 30, 2012
• Severe to Exceptional Drought Grows in U.S. Posted July 26, 2012
• U.S. Drought Continues to Spread, Intensify Posted July 19, 2012
• Another Heat Wave Grips America’s Heartland Posted July 18, 2012
• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S.  Posted July 17, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Drought Disaster – Recent

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens  Posted August 1, 2012
• USDA Disaster List Grows to 1,369 Counties Across 31 States Posted  July 26, 2012
• Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska Posted  July 25, 2012
• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012

The White House War Vulture Claims 48 More Lives

Obama’s War on Afghanistan Claims the Largest Single U.S. Casualties

[August 7, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,683 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

READ THIS FIRST

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FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

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The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

Disaster Calendar 2011 – August 7 Entry

• Russia. The health authorities have declared a state of emergency in a district of Krasnodar Region in south Russia following the outbreak of African swine fever (Montgomery’s disease) a report said.
• “The state of emergency covers an area where 11,839 pigs are being kept, of which 50 have already died, the emergencies center said.”

• California, USA. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated San Luis Obispo County in California as a primary natural disaster area because of the losses to wine grapes caused by freezing temperatures that occurred April 8-9, 2011, the department said.
• Oklahoma, USA. Large wildfires in Edmond have destroyed dozens of houses,  mobile homes and outbuildings, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate in several neighborhoods, reports said.
• Idaho, USA. Three major wildfires, which were sparked by lightning a few days ago, have scorched at least 35,000 acres in southwest Idaho and continue to rage, reports said.
• Oregon, USA. Large wildfires sparked by lightning have consumed about 20,000 acres of forest in central Oregon, reports said. Lines of thunderstorms in the region have produced at least 4,100 lightning strikes on Thursday.
• Utah, USA. A fast-moving major wildfire near Cedar City, Utah has consumed about 10,000 acres and was zero percent contained as of posting.
• Obama’s War on Afghanistan. Obama’s war on Afghanistan claimed 42 more lives over the weekend, most of them Americans.
• On Saturday 31 US special forces and seven Afghan soldiers were killed when their Chinook helicopter was shut down west of Kabul.
• On Sunday 4 more NATO troops were killed in two separate attacks in eastern and southern Afghanistan.
• The war vulture in the White House said: “Their deaths are a reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by the men and women of our military and their families, including all who have served in Afghanistan.” But, he failed to say what the sacrifice was for, or why it was necessary.
• London, England. Dozens of people were injured and many homes, stores and cars were set alight after rioting broke out in North London borough of Tottenham. Looters ransacked dozens of shops in the area. The violence erupted after a protest calling for justice over the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan on Thursday. The victim’s cousin was stabbed to death in a London nightclub in March this year.
• Texas, USA. The official heat-related deaths in Dallas has reached 14, reports said.  At least 11 more deaths are under investigation.
• Missouri, USA. The official heat-related deaths in Kansas City, Missouri has reached at least 24, city’s health department said.
• Maryland, USA. The official heat-related deaths in Baltimore has reached at least 21, reports said.

Related Links

• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying  Posted by edro on April 14, 2011
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• US Nuke Plants Threatened by Extreme Heat

State of Emergency Declared for 33 Oklahoma Counties

Drought conditions and raging wildfires prompt Oklahoma Lt Gov to declare a state of emergency for 33 counties

At least 10 blazes have been reported in Oklahoma, forcing thousands of residents to abandon their homes in western and southern Oklahoma.

“These counties have struggled to see relief from our current drought and with Oklahoma’s high winds, conditions have unfortunately been ideal for devastating wildfires,” Lt. Gov. Lamb said.

A large fire near Lawton has reportedly destroyed up to 20 homes (an unknown number of homes have been damaged), and consumed about 6,000 acres.

Oklahoma Map of below normal 7-day average streamflow. Source: USGS. Click images to enlarge

Fires burning in A Comanche County. At least one injury reported. Frame grab from a news video clip. Watch video here.

The State of Emergency

The State of Emergency declaration  covers  Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cimarron, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Jefferson, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Love, Major, Roger Mills, Stephens, Texas, Tillman, Washita, Woods and Woodward counties.

Additional counties may be added, if conditions deteriorate.

Current HMS Fire and Smoke Analysis

Analyzed Fires and Smoke from Satellite on NESDIS ArcIMS server. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. Click images to enlarge.

Related Links

• Massive Pender Fire Killing Many Animals
• U.S. Wildfires News and Blame Games
• North America Fire and Smoke Hazards – June 20
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• U.S. Wildfires – June 21 Update