COMANCHE COUNTY, Okla.–Emergency crews in southwest Oklahoma’s Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge continue to contain a large wildfire sparked overnight that has led to evacuations in multiple communities.
Setting ablaze just west of Mt. Scott and northwest of the city of Lawton around 3:45 p.m., the fire forced officials to place evacuation orders on residents of Holy City, Mountain Village and Mountain Sheridan Estates.
Meanwhile, emergency response teams from Grady, Kiowa and Stephens counties have all jumped into action to support efforts to put out the blaze. Residents fleeing their homes have been directed to the Meers Fire Station.
“To the residents of Mountain Village and Mountain Sheridan Estates, please be aware that the evacuation order will stay in effect until daybreak and potentially longer, as the situation in these areas remains precarious. Fire crews are actively working to extinguish the fires in both locations,” Comanche County / Lawton Emergency Management posted on Facebook early Friday morning.
The city of Lawton doesn’t appear to be in danger, though members of the Lawton Police Department have joined county crews to assist.
A pilot from KOCO News, which had the only helicopter in the air surveilling the Wichita Mountains wildfire, estimated that 200-300 acres have already burned so far.
“Fire is still active and there is heavy smoke on the Refuge,” The Wichita Wildlife Refuge posted in an 8:30 a.m. update Friday. “The visitor center will be open, all other areas east are still closed to visitor/commuter access.”
Wildfire burns communities around Wichita Mountains amid county burn ban
The effort to protect life and property in and around one of the state’s most pristine wildlife sanctuaries comes as much of the state has been placed under a burn ban.
Nearly 40 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties are under a current burn ban, including all of southwest Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet, a network of environmental monitoring stations.
Roads that remain off limits to residents include Hwy 115/Meers Road and Hwy 49 between the Visitor Center and Medicine Park Entrance including Holy City, Rush Lake, Jed Johnson Lake, Mt. Scott, Lake Elmer Thomas, the Refuge posted.
Since Thursdays, over 20 separate wildfires have sparked across the state, according to a data map from the Oklahoman. The Wichita Mountains Wildfire has already caused an estimated $200,000 worth of damage.
Wildfire threatens historic refuge
As crews continue to battle the wildfire, the history of the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge remains under threat. It preserves 60,000 acres of mixed grass prairie, ancient granite mountains, and fresh water lakes and streams, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Herds of bison, elk and deer, along with over 275 species of birds, call the area home.
The refuge takes its name from the Indigenous tribe that inhabited the region centuries ago, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. The nearby military installation, Fort Sill, is where the U.S. military detained the famous Apache leader Geronimo.
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