Fires that began Friday afternoon destroyed 293 structures and scorched roughly 170,000 acres in Oklahoma. The fires came in the wake of humidity under 10% and wind gusts around 60 miles per hour Friday.
Gov. Kevin Stitt reported there were no deaths directly from the fires, but did report one death of a motorist driving into smoke.
The destruction throughout the state prompted Stitt to sign an emergency order for 12 counties. The declaration orders all state resources able to address the fires and their aftermath to do so.
“Every firefighter in this state, every resource that was had, was out there (yesterday),” Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Director Annie Mack Vest said at a Saturday morning news conference.
Stitt announced Friday that firefighters from Louisiana and Arkansas would arrive over the weekend to help the local firefighters battle the blazes.
“We should have a couple good days in a row here to put the fires out because there’s a little bit of a risk coming back maybe Monday or Tuesday,” Stitt said.
To prevent fire events like the one Friday, Stitt suggested the state Legislature pass a law to de-energize power lines once winds reach certain levels. He said power lines that fell on underbrush started some of the fires.
Stitt also said the state should consider doing more controlled burns, including in rights-of-way that have power lines, to get rid of fuel for the fires ahead of time.
FEMA questions
Mack Vest announced Saturday morning the state has been approved for eight fire assistance grants from FEMA. This means response costs incurred by state and local governments Friday will be reimbursable.
But Mack Vest also said the number of homes lost does not yet meet the threshold for ongoing FEMA assistance.
“It takes about 400 destroyed or major impacted structures statewide that are uninsured for FEMA to come in and provide assistance,” Mack Vest said.
FEMA officials will be on the ground assessing the damage “Monday or Tuesday,” Mack Vest said. She also said the Small Business Administration may help the recovery as well.
Mack Vest encouraged insured homeowners reach out to the state insurance office.
Mannford residents step up after neighbors lose homes
Mannford residents were ordered to evacuate Friday afternoon as the blazes tore through the region. Cars, buildings and farm equipment on properties in the hilly, wooded area smoldered into Friday night as emergency crews sprayed water on the embers. Police began reopening major roadways into Mannford late Friday night.
“It’s been a rough night, I can assure you of that,” Mannford Mayor Clay Abercrombie said at the news conference Saturday.
Abercrombie said his city had to rely upon emergency crews from Bixby, Sand Springs and Rogers County for help.
According to a release, Abercrombie declared a state of emergency for Mannford Saturday afternoon.
As fire crews continued putting out smaller blazes that had persisted into Saturday, Mannford residents gathered resources to help their neighbors in need.
In a pizza shop parking lot on the north side of Highway 51, community members set up a makeshift donation drive for those who had been affected by the fires.
Della Efird runs the Blessing Closet, a Christian charity that donates clothing to people in need. In cooperation with a local church, she brought her clothing drive to Mannford.
“We have had several people that have lost everything they own come by and pick up stuff,” Efird said.
She said residents had dropped off many essential and household items all day, such as water, clothing, toiletries, laundry baskets and diapers.
Efird said she and her husband lost their home and possessions in a separate fire in 2022. She empathized with those who have lost their homes Friday night.
“It hurts just as bad as it did in ‘22 and we just do anything we can to help people,” she said.
