Agricultural News
Anderson Creek Fire Continues Be Watched With Fire Danger High in Northwest Oklahoma
Fri, 01 Apr 2016 17:51:38 CDT
Firefighters in Oklahoma and Kansas continue to work on containment of the Anderson Creek Fire as fire weather persists and increases over the weekend in northwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle.
The Anderson Creek Fire has burned a total of 367,630 acres across both states and is 95 percent contained, meaning that 95 percent of the fire perimeter is secured and expected to hold. Containment is at 98 percent for the portion of the fire in Woods County, OK. Kansas officials are reporting 100 percent containment in Comanche County and 89 percent containment in Barber County. Firefighters in Barber County worked to suppress hotspots within the fire perimeter, as the fire burned another estimated 10 acres Thursday. Structural losses for the fire have been updated to include 19 residences and 25 minor structures. Damage assessments are ongoing in the nearly 600 square mile area affected by the fire. There have been no reports of injuries or fatalities on the fire in Oklahoma and Kansas.
"While the containment percentage numbers sound high, I want people to understand that, with a fire of this magnitude, there is still a lot of fire perimeter to be checked and secured.," said George Geissler, Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services. "And with fire weather conditions continuing, we can see flare-ups with this fire, as well as new fires starting."
Fire weather conditions will be favorable in western Oklahoma and the Panhandle with warm temperatures, gusty southwest winds and low relative humidity on Sunday. As crews continue to patrol, mop-up and suppress hotspots on the Anderson Creek Fire, the public is urged to avoid any activity that could cause a spark and to call their local fire department if they see fire or smoke.
A county burn ban is in place in Texas, Harper and Cimarron counties. Oklahoma Forestry Services is the state's lead agency related to wildland fire prevention, protection and use. For additional information about wildfires, visit www.forestry.ok.gov/wildfire-information.
How you can help
Agriculture producers who have been impacted by the fire need to contact their county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office. The FSA office has programs that can assist producers who have lost cattle, hay and grass due to the wildland fires. Agriculture producers can locate and find the contact information for their FSA county office by clicking here.
For those who would like to contribute monetarily, you can do so by mail or online via the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation. Make checks payable to Oklahoma Cattlemen's Foundation and put "Fire Relief" in the memo line and send to P.O. Box 82395, Oklahoma City, OK 73148. To donate online, visit the webpage set up by OCA by clicking here.
source- Oklahoma Department of Agriculture
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