As Oklahoma reels from deadly wildfires, authorities warn of fresh fire
threat
[March 18, 2025]
By NADIA LATHAN
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — With Oklahomans still reeling from deadly wildfires
that whipped across the state and destroyed hundreds of homes in recent
days, authorities warned that Tuesday would bring a renewed risk of fire
to an area spanning from western Oklahoma through the Texas Panhandle
and into southeastern New Mexico.
More than 400 homes were severely damaged or destroyed in the outbreak
of wildfires that started Friday in Oklahoma. At least four people died
due to the fires or high winds, including a person killed in a vehicle
accident as a result of poor visibility due to dust or smoke, officials
said.
While calm weather over the weekend helped crews get a handle on most
wildfires burning across Texas and Oklahoma, forecasters at the National
Weather Service said extremely critical fire weather conditions were
expected Tuesday in parts of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.
With wind gusts predicted to reach as high as 50 mph (80 kph) in the
afternoon, along with dry conditions and “receptive fuels,” fires could
spread rapidly, the weather service said.
“These fires, once they get started, become really hard to stop,” said
Keith Merckx of Oklahoma Forestry Services. “They move more quickly than
our resources can keep up with.”
He said officials will be returning their attention to western and
central Oklahoma, where high winds were expected to pick back up again
over the next few days. Much of the state will be back under fire
warnings beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Andrine Shufran and her husband spent Monday raking through the ashes of
their home in a neighborhood in Stillwater that she said “looks like a
checkerboard" after the recent fires.
“There’s no predictability or fairness about destroyed houses,” Shufran
said. “There’s only two options for the homes in our neighborhood:
standing or burned to the ground.”
Her home was one of more than 70 destroyed by wildfires in Stillwater, a
city of about 50,000 about 65 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of
Oklahoma City and home to Oklahoma State University.
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Andrine Shufran, right, looks through the ashes that are left of her
home in the Hidden Oaks neighborhood in Stillwater, Okla., Monday,
March 17, 2025, after wildfires burned through the area Friday. (AP
Photo/Alonzo Adams)
Shufran, a director at Insect Adventure, a petting zoo that's part
of OSU and the university’s extension campuses, said current and
former students, friends and city officials have stepped in to help
her and her husband.
“I’ve been more overwhelmed by how fantastic Oklahomans are when
they’re friends with you, or neighbors with you, because we’ve had
so many people reach out,” Shufran said.
Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce warned on Facebook on Monday afternoon
of worsening fire conditions in the area.
“Be prepared to take action quickly, if necessary,” he wrote.
Southwest of Stillwater, residents in two parts of rural Logan
County were urged to evacuate their homes Monday afternoon after
wildfires that already burned more than 47 square miles (120 square
kilometers) in the county since Friday picked back up amid high
winds and dry conditions.
An evacuation shelter had been set up at the county fairgrounds in
Guthrie, said Logan County Deputy Emergency Management Director
Shawn Pierce.
Pierce said an estimated 54 homes were destroyed in last week’s fire
in the county, which is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of
Oklahoma City.
About 10 fires continued to burn in Texas on Monday as officials
geared up for more high winds Tuesday, said Texas A&M Forest Service
spokesperson Erin O'Connor.
Although most of the fires have been contained due to slower winds
Sunday, Texas officials were expecting wildfire danger to ramp up
further into the week, O'Connor said.
___
AP reporter Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
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