Fueled by winds, extreme heat and extreme drought, wildfires in central Oklahoma on Friday caused the partial evacuation of two Route 66 towns and forced officials to close a major interstate highway, according to The Oklahoman newspaper.
On Friday evening, residents of Luther were being evacuated after a grass fire burned near Turner Turnpike and Luther Road in Oklahoma County.
Officials also closed Interstate 44 from Oklahoma City to Chandler because of the blaze. Motorists are being told to use Oklahoma 66 as an alternate route.
Also, several people in Geary were forced to evacuate early Friday after a wildfire burned out of control south of town. The fire also forced the closure of U.S. 281 (aka Route 66) near Interstate 40. At one point, the fire was 2,000 acres.
Temperatures in Oklahoma City tied an all-time high of 113 degrees on Friday.
A collection of photos from the fires can be found here.
UPDATE 9 p.m. 8/3/2012: Fire and law-enforcement officials at a press conference a few minutes ago said at least 25 to 30 structures in Luther have been destroyed. The entire town is without power. The fire line is along Route 66 on the east side of town.
Arson is suspected.
UPDATE 8/4/2012: A video by The Oklahoman about the fires:
UPDATE 3 p.m. 8/4/2012: The latest from the Associated Press says about 60 structures have been destroyed in Luther.
UPDATE 8/5/2012: The Oklahoman reported that the fires around Luther are 80 percent contained.
UPDATE 5 p.m. 8/5/2012: We drove to Luther to take a look. On Route 66 on the east side of town, you’ll find this:
The fire jumped over Route 66 and burned a few hundred feet north of there before petering out.
Many roads remain closed in and around Luther. But we saw enough to know that the town’s south and east edges suffered the most damage from the fires, and we could see a few smoldering areas still. The core part of Luther, including its downtown, appeared unscathed. Still, it’s amazing no one has been killed in these fires.
But unless Oklahoma gets steady amounts of rain every few days or so, the state’s going to be dealing with periodic wildfires until spring. Too much vegetation has already died in the heat and drought.
Current KOCO news reports as of 9:45pm tonight indicate that at least 25 homes and a day care center have been lost in the Luther area. We urge folks to keep Oklahoma and state residents in your prayers, as several fires in Oklahoma are threatening the lives of many people.