Arson wildfire destroys 121 structures in Oklahoma

[mzkitty]

I've been following this since yesterday on another board, but now it's another one of those crazy crazy events:

Update: At least 121 structures, many of them homes, destroyed by wildfires in Oklahoma, officials say - @NBCNews

9 mins ago from usnews.nbcnews.com by editor

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Muzzie? Granted there are firebugs but ......... WHO DOES THIS???

Dozens of homes destroyed in Oklahoma wildfires

A wildfire has consumed over 2,000 acres in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, burning buildings and forcing evacuations. NBCNews.com's Al Stirrett reports.
By NBC News staff and wire services

Updated at 4:30 p.m ET: At least 121 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed by wildfires in Oklahoma, officials said Saturday as temperatures topped 100 degrees for a 19th straight day.

A 2,600-acre grass fire near Luther consumed 56 structures and hot spots there and at two other large fires kept crews busy and some residents out of their homes.

Follow @NBCNewsUS

Gov. Mary Fallin toured the Luther area on Saturday, calling the devastation "heartbreaking."

Authorities suspect that fire might be arson and are looking for a person seen throwing newspapers out a black pickup's window after setting them ablaze.

Residents returning to their homes Saturday found charred timbers poking from the debris and the burned out shells of refrigerators, washers and dryers.

"It makes me feel sad," said Victoria Landavazo, clutching a young child in her arms. "It's all gone. All of our family pictures, everything was there."

Tracy Streeper was working in Oklahoma City, about 40 miles southwest, when she learned the fire was approaching. Caught in traffic, it took her a long time to reach home and then, "once we got here, we had maybe 30 minutes."

She grabbed a few clothes, medicine and her three dogs and left quickly.

"Your adrenaline is running. You're pumped up," Streeper said. "You could just see a wall of flames coming this way. Everything was on fire."

Casey Strahan said he went outside after power went out in the home he rents about 4:30 p.m. He looked south and saw smoke rising in the distance. He thought it was moving away from him until police ordered him to leave. He rushed through the house, grabbing clothing, photos and a computer as he went. When he returned Saturday, he found the house burned to the ground.

"I just never thought it was really going to get us," said Strahan, a softball and girls basketball coach at Luther High School.

Fires near Mansford and Noble claimed another 65 structures.

Two new fires broke out on Saturday, and Oklahoma now is fighting 13 across the state, said Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker.

A state-wide burn ban was issued by Fallin on Friday.

Oklahoma has contacted neighboring states for help but, with the exception of Texas, neighbors have had to focus on their own fire threats, Fallin said on Friday.

"There's fires in Arkansas. There's fires in Kansas and Texas. Everybody else is on high heat alert," she said.

CONTINUED AT LINK WITH VIDEO:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012...wildfires?lite

[summerthyme]

Authorities suspect that fire might be arson and are looking for a person seen throwing newspapers out a black pickup's window after setting them ablaze.

I don't think this way very often. But I could hope that someone positively ID'd this subhuman scum, and that some of the residents who just lost everything will get to him before the police can protect him.

Summerthyme (some actions forfeit your right to survive in a society of civilized humans. This is one of the few "property crimes" I believe fits in that category)

[skwentnaflyer]

That is just awful

[O2BNOK]

The distinct odor of burning grass was in the air this morning, gradually becoming less-so through the day. It's back again now, the air is heavy with it and there are reports of a small town (pop. ~600) 20 miles north of us being evacuated with about 10 homes in town limits so far gone.

It's all very sad, especially that most of them could have been prevented if folks were more careful. Then there's those like in the OP.... some asshat with a mean streak and a lighter.

[mzkitty]

The distinct odor of burning grass was in the air this morning, gradually becoming less-so through the day. It's back again now, the air is heavy with it and there are reports of a small town (pop. ~600) 20 miles north of us being evacuated with about 10 homes in town limits so far gone.

It's all very sad, especially that most of them could have been prevented if folks were more careful. Then there's those like in the OP.... some asshat with a mean streak and a lighter.

That's not someone with a mean streak. That's a homicidal maniac.

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Wildfire Updates: Oklahoma road closings

Billowing smoke near Bristow forced turnpike to close Saturday for second time in two days. Payne and Lincoln Counties join the list.

By Zeke Campfield | Published: August 4, 2012 Comment on this article 4

Update: 8:12 p.m.

Additional road closings in Payne and Lincoln counties: Lincoln County: State Highway 99 South from State Highway 33 to Stroud.

Payne County: State Highway 33 East from Cushing East to Drumright.

The following roads are remained closed in Creek County due to wildfires: State Highway 33 from State Highway 48 to State Highway 99. State Highway 51 from State Highway 48 to State Highway 99. State Highway 99 from State Highway 51 to State Highway 33. State Highway 48 from State Highway 51 to State Highway 33.

Update: Turner Turnpike is tentatively back open as of 4:30 p.m. Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports the thoroughfare may be closed again depending on evening winds.

BRISTOW – A major thoroughfare that connects Oklahoma City with Tulsa is closed for a second time in two days do to wildfire.

Westbound traffic on the Turner Turnpike between Bristow and Tulsa was diverted beginning around 2:45 p.m. Saturday due to billowing smoke across the roadway, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Alternative routes of travel from Tulsa to Oklahoma City include:

-U.S. 412 (Cimmaron Turnpike) west to I-35 and south to Oklahoma City; or

-U.S. 75 south to I-40 west to Oklahoma City.

The turnpike was closed in its entirety for more than six hours Friday due to a major fire in the Luther area northeast of Oklahoma City.

In addition to the Turner Turnpike, all other state highways in Creek County west of Tulsa were closed on Saturday.

Read more: http://newsok.com/wildfire-updates-o...#ixzz22dd1zK9N

[the watcher]

Jennings and Hallet have been evacd, they are to the nnw of Manford. They are shutting down water pump stations in Sand Springs and other townships, to maintain pressure where they need it. The main electrical feeds into Manford are down and fire is INSIDE Manford. I just got a phone call, my son talked with Red Cross, who are headed to Bartlesville now, Manford is gone, much of it has burned. The winds have shifted from the north and are pushing the fire into a different direction, but not back onto the burned out areas. This seems to be headed NNW. You guys up that way need to prepare.

Here's a photo I took yesterday evening looking westward, from west Tulsa.


Here's an image from the same area today around 6PM.

[mzkitty]

52,000 acres burned, 40 homes destroyed statewide in fires across Oklahoma - @NewsOK

35 mins ago from newsok.com by editor


http://newsok.com/oklahoma-wildfires...medium=twitter

[Siskiyoumom]

Praying for all the families affected by the fires and the folks providing emergency services. Hopefully the folks responsible for starting the blaze will get caught and convicted. It is really pitiful to see whole communities destroyed by the actions of arsonists. Sis

[Penguin Zen]

This was a post on my niece's facebook She is a DJ in Tulsa .
.Kristen On K-Hits
4 hours ago via mobile
With all the wildfires & the power outages they're causing, we are currently off the air due to transmitter issues. :/ We hope to be back shortly! — at Journal Broadcast Group.

[Flippper]

How very sad, those poor, poor people and in this economy they likely will have a very difficult time relocating and finding jobs if it comes to that. Heartbreaking.

[Siskiyoumom]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Many Oklahomans forced to leave their homes because of raging wildfires were being allowed to return Sunday, despite some fires continuing to burn and emergency shelters remaining open in four communities.

A "monster" fire had devoured almost 91 square miles and continued to burn between Mannford and Kellyville in northeastern Oklahoma's Creek County as light rain and cooler temperatures gave firefighters a brief respite early Sunday, said Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Michelle Finch-Walker.

She described the blaze as hopscotching as it burns some areas and leaves others untouched.

"It's not like an inferno moving across the landscape," Finch-Walker said. "You can drive for miles down the highway and see nothing but black, but then you can see pockets of green, pockets unburned.

"Maybe there was a creek (that stopped the fire)," she said. "Maybe the wind blew it in a different direction."

Finch-Walker said residents of the town of Mannford, which was evacuated Saturday, had been allowed to return.

Gov. Mary Fallin traveled to Mannford and nearby Drumright on Sunday, where she met with residents and local officials, telling reporters afterward that the state is doing all it can to assist in putting out the flames.

"This has really stretched the resources of the state of Oklahoma," she said. "It's just been a huge fight."

Finch-Walker said OFS had sent pumper trucks with water and bulldozers to fight the fires, while the Oklahoma National Guard provided helicopters to dump water on the flames.

"They don't put out the fire, they cool down the area," by dropping water on a blaze, Finch-Walker said. "To allow firefighters to get in and fight."

Nigel Holderby, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said four shelters remained open Sunday: at a senior center in Cushing and churches in Sand Springs, Lexington and Choctaw.

An information center in the high school auditorium in Luther also remained in operation, Holderby said. The center, established by the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other agencies, is providing residents with information on how to find government assistance, such as replacing birth certificates and Social Security cards

[Siskiyoumom]

Continuation of article:
Finch-Walker said three firefighters were treated and released Friday after suffering burns, but that there had been no reports of serious injuries as a result of wildfires statewide. Since late last week, as many as 18 fires have been reported.

The National Weather Service said .15 to .16 inches of rain fell early Sunday in the area, but no more was expected until at least midweek.

"They really ran out of steam the further south that they moved," meteorologist Bart Haake said about the rainfall.

Haake said temperatures for the next two to three days are expected to be somewhat milder, in the 90s rather than above 110 degrees.

Finch-Walker said firefighters welcome that bit of news, but with the knowledge that it's only about a two-day window.

"It's not fabulous," she said. "We're not out of the woods by any stretch."

She said the fire season was just getting under way, and whether it will be as severe as 2011 cannot be projected. Forestry services firefighters battled about 1,800 blazes in 2011, including an estimated 93 square-mile fire in the Wichita Mountains of southwestern Oklahoma.

The causes of the various fires had not been determined Sunday, although one that began Friday near Luther was being investigated as a possible arson. Witnesses told Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies they saw a man throwing a lighted newspaper from a black Ford pickup.

Sheriff's spokesman Mark Myers said Sunday that no arrests had been made and no suspects identified.

"We're getting leads and following up on them," Myers said.

Gov. Fallin toured Luther on Saturday, calling the sight "heartbreaking" after visiting with families milling around the still-smoking debris of what remained of their homes.

"I gave them a hug, told them I was sorry," Fallin said.

[mzkitty]

So now he's a murderer.


Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management confirms 1st fatality in Cleveland County wildfires - @NBCNews' @gabegutierrez

26 mins ago by editor

[mzkitty]

Whoever the maggot is who threw those lit newspapers out the car window doesn't deserve to live. I'm just so disgusted....

More than 78,330 acres have burned in fires across Oklahoma since Friday, officials report; Creek County fire continues to burn - @NewsOK

47 mins ago from newsok.com by editor

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UPDATE: Body of adult found in rural Norman home burned by wildfire

The state medical examiner is trying to identify the body of a person found in a home burned by a wildfire Friday. Oklahoma Forestry Services reports thousands of acres burned.

FROM STAFF REPORTS | Published: August 6, 2012


11:40 a.m. Keli Cain, spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management, said the body was found Saturday in a burned home in east Norman. Emergency management officials were informed of the fatality Monday morning.

Cain said officials have not determined how many homes and structures burned Friday in the Cleveland County fire, and she doesn't have the exact address where the body was found.

“It's still difficult to identify much of anything out there,” Cain said. “Crews are still out on hot spots today (Monday).”

Officials estimate at least 100 structures and 7,900 acres burned in Cleveland County.

11:05 a.m. NORMAN — The state medical examiner is trying to identify a body found in a home burned by wildfire Friday, authorities report Monday.

“The body is burned beyond recognition,” spokeswoman Amy Elliott said. She said the victim is an adult, but officials don't know the race or gender.

The body was found in a fire-damaged home near 120th Avenue SE and State Highway 9.

Meanwhile, wildfire in Creek County continues to burn Monday, authorities report. More than 58,000 acres have burned in this fire.

Fires in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Grady and Payne counties are under control, officials report.

Read more: http://newsok.com/update-body-of-adu...#ixzz22mxcDrQN

[33dInd]

so, my place was spared though we had ash falling on it from the sky. Water hoses and family members there to put out anything.
My Uncle in Luther was NOT so lucky..........he lost it all 10 acres just scorched blackned land and double wide only the axle and frame still in place

[Giblin]

33, I'll be praying for Uncle Luther and the rest of you.

[mzkitty]

Video: 911 caller claims arsonist responsible for starting Luther, Oklahoma, wildfire, which burned 2,621 acres - @NewsOK

33 mins ago from newsok.com by editor

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911 caller: Fire 'exploded' in Luther after driver throws something from pickup

Oklahoma County officials on Monday released a recording of a 911 call from man who said he saw a pickup driver speed away Friday as fire began to rage in Luther.

By Juliana Keeping | Published: August 6, 2012 Comment on this article 1


LUTHER — A man who called 911 from a Luther grass fire told an Oklahoma County dispatcher the area exploded with fire after a pickup truck driver threw something out the window before speeding away.

The Oklahoma County sheriff released the 911 call Monday. Wildfire that broke out in Luther on Friday burned 2,621 acres, destroyed numerous homes and structures, and shut down Interstate 44 for several hours, according to officials from the Oklahoma Forestry Services.

County officials said they suspect arson in the Luther fire. Witnesses reported seeing a person driving a 2008 black Ford F-150 pickup with red lettering on the side throw a burning newspaper out of the vehicle.

The sheriff's office asks anyone with information about this person to call 869-2501.

The investigation into the incident continues, spokesman Mark Myers said in a statement Monday.

A shouting caller told an Oklahoma county dispatcher he saw a driver of a “blue-ish-black truck” throw something out of its window near NE 150 and N Luther Road off the Turner Turnpike.

“I got up there where he was at and the whole woods exploded when I got up to him,” the man said. “I got a fire here bad.”

The caller stayed in the area as a grass fire began to rage to warn nearby homeowners, according to the 911 recording.

The caller told a dispatcher the driver who appeared to have ignited the fire drove east on NE 150.

Read more: http://newsok.com/911-caller-fire-ex...#ixzz22oTSffCB

[mzkitty]

More than half a dozen of the wildfires that have ravaged Oklahoma during the past week may have been intentionally set - @NEWS9

8 mins ago by editor

In that case, I say blame the muzzies. They're the ones who said to set the forests on fire. You know they did.




I hope this will put out the fires:

Thunderstorms leave more than 14,000 without power in Oklahoma City area - @NewsOK

1 hour ago from newsok.com by editor

[ejagno]

My husband is from Bristow so this area is near and dear to his heart. Our prayers are with all of you.