As communities across Oklahoma continue to recover from devastating wildfires, first responders urge residents to use common sense as weather conditions revive the threat of new blazes this week.
The Oklahoma Forestry Services Fire Management Division is urging residents to use common sense as the state’s four million residents, and 40 million Americans across the country, remain under a fire alert.
“Don’t burn. Don’t–when the wind blows–be running charcoal grills or welding over areas that could catch fire,” Oklahoma Forestry Services Public Information Officer Keith Merckx told the Black Wall Street Times Monday afternoon.
“Create defensible space around houses and other buildings, which not only help prevent fire but also help in the event that one starts. It allows firefighters to get in and battle blazes and perhaps help save property and help protect lives,” Merckx said.
A look at the damage from Oklahoma wildfires
Over 130 fires have been reported in 44 counties across the state after low humidity and 60-70 mph winds sparked blazes, power outages and destroyed homes, businesses and human lives. By Sunday afternoon, more than 400 homes had been damaged, according to an update from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four deaths related to the wildfires: one each in Lincoln County, Garfield County, Haskell County, and Pawnee County. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reports area hospitals have confirmed at least 142 fire-related injuries.
On Saturday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for 12 counties to open up more resources for first responders and impacted communities. The 12 counties include: Cleveland, Creek, Dewey, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, and Stephens.
In a social media post, Gov. Stitt shared a video showing his own ranch near Luther, Oklahoma, had been largely destroyed.
“We’ll be rebuilding with all of Oklahoma,” Stitt said, describing his farmhouse as “a total loss.”
Communities respond to Oklahoma wildfires
Over 72 homes were destroyed in Stillwater, the city’s mayor posted Sunday. “Several more are damaged and likely uninhabitable,” Mayor Will Joyce wrote. “It’s hard to describe the extent of the loss for these families
State leaders traveled to Mannford, Oklahoma over the weekend, where the wildfires have destroyed 30 to 50 homes.
“We will have FEMA on the ground beginning probably Monday or Tuesday. We’re working on getting three teams into the state to go out and assess those damages along with the Small Business Administration,” Annie Mack Vest, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, told reporters Saturday morning.
Studies show warming climate impacts wildfires
According to a report from Public Radio Tulsa, Stitt has suggested the state Legislature pass a law to de-energize power lines once winds reach certain levels. He also suggested the state conduct more controlled burns to help prevent Oklahoma wildfires.
A 2016 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America found a link between climate change enhanced the drying of organic matter and doubled the number of large fires between 1984 and 2015.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supports a 2021 study indicating climate change has been the main cause of increasing wildfires in the western U.S.
Several communities faced temporary evacuations over the weekend, including Mannford and Norman, home to the National Weather Center. Families, including children and pets, were huddled together inside one of several designated shelters after a fire sparked in the Little Axe area, the OU Daily reported.
Staying vigilant, supporting Oklahomans
The National Weather Center warns of critical to extreme fire danger for Monday, with similar conditions expected Tuesday.
“Critical to extreme fire danger is expected Monday with breezy southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Dry conditions will bring minimum relative humidity values as low as 10 to 20 percent. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for most of the area Monday from 11 AM to 10 PM,” the center stated.
The American Red Cross has mobilized to support recovery efforts, and shelters have opened at communities most impacted. To see a full list of shelters and how to donate, visit the Oklahoma Wildfire Recovery Resource Page. Grassroots social media groups have also formed to support neighbors, such as the Facebook group OK Fires 2025.
Ultimately, as Oklahomans enjoy warmer weather after months in the cold, first responders and emergency teams urge residents to remain vigilant and exercise common sense. Crews continue to battle blazes across the state, an Oklahoma fire map shows.
“So, these common sense things, we can’t underestimate that,” Merckx told BWST. “And it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for any of these situations at time like this, especially for people that know they’re in areas that were prone to wildfire than others.”
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