By Crystal Kelly
Unseasonably warm temps and strong Oklahoma winds create the perfect conditions for wildfires in Green Country.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is calling today’s fire risk, near critical. With the possibility of winds reaching 40 miles per hour or more, Andy Little with the Tulsa Fire Department, says keep an eye out for downed power lines.
“Once those lines break and fall down onto that dry vegetation it starts fires. In one case, because the wind was so fast, that grass fire spread to a house which spread to the next house which spread to another house, and we ended up having almost four houses burn,” he said.
Little says if you see any powerlines down, call 911.
“We really encourage the community to create that defensible space around their home. Basically, just meaning clean things up around the home, not having things that are flammable up against your home,” Little said.
The NWS says elevated fire weather conditions will continue Friday and possibly through the weekend.
