Oklahoma Wildfires Continue to Rage; One Dead, Hundreds Evacuated

High Winds Increase Wildfire Danger in Southwest

Wind-driven wildfires were sparked Thursday in multiple areas of Oklahoma, and those fires continued to grow Friday.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of approximately 1,400 residents as the flames advanced.
Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for 52 counties to dedicate more resources to the firefight.

One person has died and hundreds remain evacuated as wildfires across Oklahoma continue to grow Saturday and firefighters prepare for another difficult day.

According to an incident report, a 61-year-old man died Thursday in Roger Mills County, a result of injuries sustained in one of the numerous fires that have erupted in the Sooner state.

Oklahoma Forestry Services announced mandatory evacuations for the towns of Seiling, Taloga and Putnam Friday afternoon because of an advancing wildfire.

Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander said deputies went door-to-door, urging residents to heed warnings, the Associated Press reports.

"Your property is not worth your life," Sander said. "Evacuate and leave it to the firefighters."

The fires have claimed more than 300 square miles of land since Thursday, according to the Oklahoman. Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for 52 counties in the Sooner State as a response to the fires.

"Unfortunately, Mother Nature's not throwing us any good pitches so we're having to deal with what she sends us, which is unfortunately not going to be any real recovery time in the overnight hours," Guthrie Fire Department Chief Eric Harlow told Fox Oklahoma City. "Usually the humidity will come back up, but unfortunately it looks like we're in for another couple days of the same conditions."

(FORECAST: Critical Fire Weather Conditions in Southwest and Southern Rockies)

The largest group of fires, named the 34 Complex Fire, destroyed several homes in northwestern Oklahoma's Woodward County and forced evacuations, the Oklahoman also said.

Fire destroyed two barns and a home after downed power lines ignited a cotton gin in Dill City, KWTV reported.

Evacuations were also ordered Thursday night for the small town of Mutual, Oklahoma, located in Woodward County. According to reports, a wildfire was rapidly moving northward about two miles south of the town of less than 100.

The wildfires encroached upon the Oklahoma City metro area, as KWTV reported a wildfire in the far northwestern suburbs.

A large inferno in western Oklahoma, dubbed the Rhea Fire, burned more than 192 square miles in Dewey County since Thursday and is 0 percent contained, according to KOKH.

Authorities searched for a missing hunter who was with two other people when he vanished in the smoke-filled area, according to a separate report from the Oklahoman. The hunter, identified as Terry Burleson, 54, was found Friday morning and transported to a local hospital, the Dewey County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post. He was listed in fair condition Friday with second-degree burns covering 10 percent of his body, KOKH reports.

“He was in amazingly good condition for what he had been through,” Dewey County Sheriff Clay Sander told the news station.

Red flag warnings are in place Saturday for portions of western Oklahoma where fire conditions are elevated or critical, says weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam.

"Although it will be cooler and not quite as dry as Friday, it will still be very windy with wind gusts up to 55 mph possible. As a result, if fires start, they will spread rapidly," Lam added.

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