Wildfire outbreak in western and central Oklahoma causes damage, injuries

Strong winds fueled wildfires across Oklahoma on Friday. Fire crews worked to protect homes as authorities issued evacuation orders.

Timeline of events for Friday fire coverage

10:58 p.m.

Gov. Kevin Stitt issues statement regarding fires.

"Sarah and I are heartbroken for the families and businesses who’ve suffered loss today.

Tomorrow morning I’ll survey areas hit hardest by the latest outbreak of fires. Updates to come then."

8 p.m.

Oklahom City Fire Department released stats from their response on Friday.

1. OCFD dispatchers handled over 900 emergency calls
2. By approximately 7:00 p.m. on March 14, firefighters were dispatched to nearly 400 incidents
3. OCFD responded to 19 structure fires, 115 grass fires and 34 downed power lines

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation releases a road conditions advisory.

NOTE: The closures below are current as of 8 p.m. Friday. The status and number of these closures will change overnight. An updated advisory will be issued at 5 a.m. Saturday.

CIMARRON 

US-287 north of Boise City

CLEVELAND

I-35 and SH-9W junction in Norman is a four-way stop through noon Saturday

CREEK

SH-48 from SH-33 to SH-51

SH-16 from SH-33 to Shamrock

LOGAN

SH-105 in Meridian

OSAGE

US-60 between County Road 4461 and Pawhuska

PAWNEE

US-64 between SH-18 and SH-99

US-64 between US-412 and SH-99 in Cleveland

SH-99 between Jennings and US-64

PAYNE

SH-51 from Meridian Rd to Country Club Rd just west of Stillwater

POTTAWATOMIE CO

SH-102 from Hardesty Rd. to I-40

STEPHENS

SH-7 from CS2972 to Texaco Road

7:30 p.m.

The American Red Cross has opened shelters across the state for people who need a place to stay because of evacuation orders or home loss in Friday's wildfires.

Wildfire evacuation shelters in Oklahoma

In a statement, OG&E says 26,000 customers are still without power due to high winds. Power was restored to 54% of customers who experienced outages due to wind.

7:00 p.m.

Officials in Lincoln County confirmed 2 people were burned in a wildfire there.

Wildfire injuries in Oklahoma: 2 burned in Lincoln County

6:00 p.m.

Firefighters responded to a grass fire near Northwest 122nd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue as strong winds actively pushed the flames into two homes, resulting in total losses.

Fire Destroys two homes in Northwest OKC

5:45 p.m.

The City of Shawnee said fire crews are battling several fires in town, and urged people to leave those areas.

You can watch our live coverage below.

Current power outages: https://kubra.io/stormcenter/views/8fe9d356-96bc-41f1-b353-6720eb408936/

Over 70,000 people are reporting a power outage.

Current warnings:

1. Red Flag Warning for Okfuskee County until 10:00 pm Friday.

Evacuation Orders:

Leedey

Shelter Locations:

1. Cheyenne Courthouse
2. Hammon High School Gym
3. Cheyenne Arapaho Center in Woodward

Norman

1. Along and east of 108th St. to 132nd St. and north of Post Oak Road to Highway 9 in Norman. People should head to Little Axe Rec Center and Cross Point Church.
2. Evacuations are occurring in the area of 192nd NE & Robinson (3 mile north; 3 mile east) due fires in the area. Residents are asked to evacuate immediately.
3. Evacuations are occurring in the area of 120th Ave SE & Etowah (2 miles north; 2 miles east) due a large fire in the area. Residents are asked to evacuate immediately.

ACTIVE NORMAN EVACUATION INFO: City of Norman Official Website Norman PD Twitter

Oklahoma County

1. Hiwassee, to Choctaw rd— between coffee creek & Waterloo

Stillwater

1. Immediate evacuation between 19th and 6th and Range to Cottonwood. Be on alert if you are east of Range Street and North of Highway 51.
2. 2:30 p.m. - Primrose Retirement has been evacuated.
3. 4:10 p.m. - Immediate Evacuation for: Karsten, Nottingham, Primrose, Kelowna Park (44th & Range), Golden Oaks, Woodlake
4. 4:35 p.m. - Golden Oaks is now clear.

Hammond

1. HWY 34, evacuation in Hammond due to explosion, wildfire

Lincoln County

1. 2:46 PM Hickory Hill Road Fire Lincoln, Oklahoma, & Logan Counties
2. Reunification Centers at the Lincoln CO Fairgrounds and lowa Tribe Chena Building

Shawnee

1. Evacuated on the southwest side of town in SHAWNEE Big fire by Hwy 177
2. Citizens are urged to evacuate the area north of Archery Range Road and east of Clearpond Road due to significant fire danger.

4:14 p.m. ODOT - Road Conditions Advisory

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority crews are reporting numerous highway and interstate closures due to crashes, wind and visibility issues.

These include major corridors of I-35, I-40 and turnpikes in the central and western areas of the state, including the OKC metro.

Unnecessary travel is discouraged.

Conditions are rapidly changing and expected to last into the evening.

If drivers must travel, use the Drive Oklahoma app or go to oktraffic.org to check route status in real-time.

4:30 p.m. OG&E Advisory

Extreme winds with gusts of up to 70 mph are moving through OG&E's service area across the state, causing multiple outages.

Approximately 33,500 customers are without power due to high winds.

The advisory states that repair crews are out and fixes are underway to restore power, however crews may be unable to immediately work in areas with continued high winds.

The conditions make working on the grid dangerous for crews

OG&E warns customers to stay away from downed power lines and anything they are touching. Assume any downed line may be energized.

Do not drive over a downed power line.

Report damaged and downed powerlines by calling 800-522-6870.

You can also submit a report in the OG&E app, or on their website.

4:32 p.m. NORMAN EVACUATION ORDER

All evacuation orders remain in effect. Residents are asked to remain out of the area and off the roadways to allow emergency crews to respond until an all clear is issued.

5:00 p.m. NORMAN EVACUATION UPDATE

Evacuations are occurring in the area of 120th Ave SE & Etowah (2 miles north; 2 miles east) due a large fire in the area. Residents are asked to evacuate immediately.

ACTIVE NORMAN EVACUATION INFO: City of Norman Official Website Norman PD Twitter

5:18 p.m. MANNFORD EVACUATION

We're receiving reports that Bryan's Village, Golden Age apartments and Keystone Village Senior Living Center in Mannford Oklahoma are being transported to safety.

They will either be at Lakeside Baptist Church or the Case Community Center in Sand Springs, which will be open with resources.

The American Red Cross is on standby.

5:24 p.m. CHICKASHA VOLUNTARY EVACUATION CANCELLED

Fire Chief Samaniego said they have the fire controlled at the head.

This means you can return to your homes and the voluntary evacuation is cancelled.

Please stay aware in case the situation should change.

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Viewers have reported a grass fire near Will Rogers International Airport.

David Payne tracks wildfires across the state

Blowing dust and low visibility closes all lanes on US-412 and SH-51 in Garfield County

Leedey under evacuation order as wildfire threatens