Despite Recent Rains, Officials Warn of Continued Fire Danger in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — According to Oklahoma Forestry Services, the public should use “extreme caution in the face of elevated fire danger,” despite recent rainfall in the state.

Officials are highlighting their continued concerns as they work to prevent blazes from breaking out. On Thursday near Bell Cow Lake in the Chandler area, Lincoln County Emergency Management shared that 20 acres burned in approximately 15 minutes.

According to state forestry services, “it could take only a single day for our wildfire risk to reach levels we saw earlier this month.”

In late September, Fox 25 reported on fires breaking out in Lincoln County, including one from Sept. 25 in the Wellston area. Officials stressed that drought conditions had contributed towards the fire’s spread.

According to State Forester Mark Goeller, “Wildland fuel dryness remains at exceptional and extreme levels despite the welcome rains earlier this week.”

Forestry services expect drought conditions to persist into the winter.

At the time of this article’s publication, 30 counties had active burn bans across Oklahoma.

“We could see some improvement in fire danger indices in late fall, but current indications are that above normal fire occurrence and severity may persist through the dormant season,” shared OFS Fire Management Chief Andy James.

He further added that, “The bottom line is that the Oklahoma landscape remains primed for wildfire activity.”