The weather in Northwest Oklahoma make it prime country for fires, whether they are grass fires, structure fires or wildfires. On June 14 there was a wildfire near Ames. It engulfed 650 acres and was fought by fire departments from four counties, Blaine, Major, Garfield and Kingfisher. One firetruck, a grass fire fighting rig from Cleo Springs in Major County, was destroyed and two firefighters injured. Luckily the injuries were not life-threatening.
Monday saw a fire break out near the Cherokee Trading Post on I-40. Social media posts showed smoke billowing from the near the exit more than an hour after the call came in.
At this time, Blaine County is not under a burn ban, but several other adjacent counties are, including Dewey and Major. As the dry spell continues in the region, it is likely the Blaine County Commission will discuss its own burn ban in the next few meetings.
Residents are encouraged to keep in mind that a fire weather watch means weather could exist in the next 12- 72 hours conducive to extreme fire behavior. A red flag warning means the events could occur in the next 24 hours
When these terms are used by emergency management, fire departments, national Weather Service or local news outlets, residents should exercise extreme caution. A single spark can start a conflagration. A watch may be issued before a warning.
The standards for issuing these warnings include high to extreme fire danger, low relative humidity, dry, unstable air and strong and/or shifting winds.
Fire danger is expected to remain elevated Tuesday through Thursday, although there is a chance of rain by Friday. Temperatures are expected to be in the 90s with wind gusts as high as 28. The relative humidities are forecast at 78 for a high at night to a low of 26 during the day .
The rain chances by the weekend, if they don’t evaporate, will lower the potential of fire in the region.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com