Grass fires raged across central, southern and eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, injuring several firefighters, forcing numerous evacuations and destroying homes and a church, authorities said.
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The largest fires burned in Stephens County in southwestern Oklahoma, where two volunteer firefighters from Rush Springs suffered severe burns battling a blaze that was at least eight miles long.
"They got trapped and were overcome by fire and severely burned," said Sam Darst, public information officer for the city of Duncan, the county seat.
One firefighter was transported to the burn center at Integris Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City. The other firefighter was in satisfactory condition Wednesday night at Duncan Regional Hospital, Darst said.
Authorities took one man into custody on suspicion of arson and were looking for another, Darst said.
"They do believe this fire was purposely set," Darst said.
The fire destroyed at least 30 homes in Stephens County and the Liberty Baptist Church near Meridian, Darst said. The blaze also forced the evacuation of a local nursing home.
The fire continued to burn Wednesday night, but Darst said firefighters were beginning to get it under control.
One fire near Empire prompted authorities to evacuate Empire and Liberty schools, a technical center and a distribution facility, Darst said.
"At one time, the Empire school football field was on fire, but they did get it out," Darst said. "They released the kids to go home."
Pupils at Liberty School were evacuated and taken to another facility, where their parents were able to pick them up, Darst said. About 1,000 people had to leave the Halliburton Technical Center and the Family Dollar Distribution Center, he said.
Four other fires burned in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and blazes were reported near Chandler, Wagoner and Sallisaw in eastern Oklahoma, said Anna Payne, a state fire information officer.
"It's been a very active day today," Payne said. "We're asking people to remember there's a burn ban still in effect for Oklahoma, and tomorrow is expected to be about the same."
The blaze near Chandler in Lincoln County continued to burn Wednesday night and had destroyed at least four structures, Payne said. Video images from KWTV-9 showed two homes consumed by flames and several other barns and outbuildings destroyed.
At least three firefighters were injured battling the blaze, according to news reports.
"I know that there were injuries, but I don't know what those injuries were," said fire information officer Katherine Sanchez Meador, who had been at the scene of the Lincoln County fire Wednesday night.
She said at least 50 homes were threatened and dozens of area residents were evacuated.
"Even though there were homes that were lost, there were many that were saved," she said. "The fire is still burning, but they're working on getting contained," she said. "It has settled down now that night has come."
The fires near Chandler and Wagoner forced the closure of several roads and highways, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
A Red Flag Fire warning remained in effect until late Wednesday for all but the Oklahoma Panhandle.
Lingering drought, winds of 20 to 25 mph with higher gusts and record-shattering warmth created favorable conditions for wildfires. Daytime highs reached the 80s and 90s, more than 20 degrees above average for March 1.
The high of 92 degrees in Oklahoma City broke a record of 85 degrees set back in 1976, while the high of 93 degrees in Tulsa broke a record of 81 degrees set in 1967, the National Weather Service reported.
Other Stephens County fires were located north of Marlow, east and north of Velma and in the community of Loco, Darst said.
At least 10,000 customers were without power in Duncan because the fires affected electricity transfer centers in the southern part of the city, Darst said.
Meanwhile, a grass fire near Harrah forced authorities to narrow westbound Interstate 40 to one lane for a time. The blaze started along the road's north edge and quickly spread from along the roadway to a nearby clump of trees, said Tony Young, Oklahoma City deputy fire chief.
About 30 acres of grass were burned in the blaze but no structures were damaged.
Fire crews managed to extinguish the blaze within an hour and I-40 was reopened a short time later.
