By Curtis D. Tucker, Enid Buzz | Wednesday, March 23, 2016
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ENID, Okla. -UPDATE 03/27/2016 - The Oklahoma Forestry Services says continued efforts by firefighters contributed to increased containment for the Anderson Creek Fire. Forestry Services officials report the 397,420 acre fire is now 45% contained with 370 personnel battling the large fire that covers three counties across Oklahoma and Kansas. Containment is now estimated at 40% for the portion of the fire in Woods County, OK. Kansas officials are reporting the fire to be 31% contained in Barber County and 90% contained in Comanche County.
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When a fire is referred to as contained, it means a line is constructed, firefighters are working to extinguish or remove burning material near containment lines, and the spread is stopped. Control means removing burning material near the lines is complete and the line is expected to hold. Once the fire is completely out and all resources have been released from the scene, the fire is 100% controlled.
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UPDATE 03/24/16 - The large Anderson Creek fire in Woods County grew rapidly Wednesday as extremely dry air and strong gusty winds hampered firefighting efforts. The fire is reported to have started approximately 15 miles west of Alva near Camp Houston. Oklahoma Forestry Services officials estimate 397,420 acres have burned in Oklahoma and Kansas with 0% containment.
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“Cooperation between county, state and out of area resources is critical,” said Drew Daily, incident commander. “Given the complexity of the incident, we will transfer command of the fire to a Type 2 Incident Management Team remaining in Unified Command with Woods County to effectively manage and suppress this large wildfire.”
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Oklahoma Forestry Services is unable to use the CL-415 due to no water close enough to reload. Air tankers are a national resource and are not available (detailed to other states). OANG helicopters are on scene.
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Alfalfa Electric Cooperative said that at 8:00am this morning AEC knew of 100 poles that were down due to fire damage and they continue to find more. AEC will be adding 4 contractor crews today to aid in the restoration process and they are adding more contractor crews on Friday.
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Damage repairs will continue today, tomorrow and possibly into Saturday. They expect to have power restored to all residential services by the end of the day Saturday.
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The large wildfire that started in Woods County, OK, and spread to Comanche and Barber counties in Kansas burned an estimated 100,000 acres, hay reserves, fences and other personal property March 22-23. Ranchers in the area were in an immediate need for hay.
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When you see rural fire departments advertising fundraisers, please keep in mind all the costs associated in situations like so many have faced the last two days. Many of the firefighters out battling these fires are volunteers.
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Fire departments helping in Woods County include Alva, Carmen, Orion, Arnett, Shattuck, Thomas, Cashion, Gage, Dacoma, Jet and others.
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Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared a State of Disaster Emergency for an area of south central Kansas threatened by major wildfires on Wednesday. The declaration authorizes state resources to assist communities affected by the fires.
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Another perspective on the Anderson Creek Fire on Thursday...
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WEDNESDAY - Strong winds throughout Oklahoma were instrumental in spreading a wildfire north into Kansas. The large Anderson Creek fire in Woods County grew to an estimated 72,000 acre fire straddling the Oklahoma-Kansas state line. The map below shows the location of the wildfires.
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The wildfire started 15 miles west of Alva near Camp Houston and spread quickly with gusts over 65 mph. Oklahoma Forestry Services established a statewide area command operating out of Oklahoma City as extreme fire danger persisted across the state.
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Volunteer firefighters were called out from many small area towns in northwest Oklahoma. As of 8:00am this morning, Oklahoma Forestry Services firefighters continued suppression work on three large fires that started yesterday. These fires were located in Woods County, Lincoln County, and Pottawatomie County.
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Two County Burn Bans were currently in effect late Wednesday in Oklahoma: Harper County and Cimarron County. For the most current information on Burn Bans click on the following link: http://www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-information
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Report any suspicious wildland fire activity on the Arson Tip Line: 1-866-662-7766 (1-866-NO ARSON).
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Photo by pilot Roy Anderson with Oklahoma Highway Patrol
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Photo by Andy Cook
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