After fires were reported across western Oklahoma in Blaine, Dewey, Kay, Roger Mills, Woods, and Woodward Counties on Saturday, officials reported that two Mooreland volunteer firefighters were injured on scene.
According to KOCO News 5, fire departments from across the state headed to Woodward County to assist with containment efforts after the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported that the fire, named the 57 Fire was 0 percent contained as of 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Two of those responding firefighters, Jared Brittain and Max Clark, were injured when flames overran their fire truck. The department reported that Clark received burns to his arms, while Brittain received more severe burns.
As of today, at 10:00 a.m., the fire is 45 percent contained but still active, with windy and dry conditions persisting. No occupied structures have been lost.
The anticipated widespread rain from Monday evening into Tuesday is expected to provide some relief to first responders.
In just February, wildfires in western Oklahoma and the panhandle left $32.9 million in damages in Oklahoma.
“These damages are mainly focused on land that is currently in agricultural use, and Ellis County had the highest number of burned acres,” said Amy Hagerman, OSU Extension specialist in agriculture and food policy.
“Cattle producer losses are estimated at $5.8 million in Ellis County for recovery costs, and this doesn’t include cattle that died in the fires or had to be sold at a loss on the market,” she said. “A total of 674 head of cattle perished, and 15,000 were estimated to have been displaced and had to be fed.”
The state has sought financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reimburse local governments, volunteer fire departments, and other first responders for expenses incurred while combating multiple fires over the weekend.
The Department of Emergency Management is asking residents impacted by the fires to report damage to their property at damage.ok.gov.
