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Oklahoma County approves emergency declaration as wildland fires destroy homes and outbuildings
Summary
The county approved an emergency declaration to free purchasing and pursue federal fire-management grants after wildland fires destroyed 22 occupied homes, two unoccupied structures and 17 large outbuildings; emergency management said conditions may remain dangerous for weeks.
Oklahoma County commissioners approved an emergency declaration Wednesday after wildland fires across the county destroyed dozens of structures and prompted an expanded incident response.
Emergency Management Director David Barnes told the board, “We have before you an emergency declaration for Oklahoma County because of the wildland fire situation that we're currently experiencing.” The declaration will allow the county to expedite purchases and participate in federal fire-management assistance grants, Barnes said.
The county’s damage assessment found 22 occupied structures destroyed, two unoccupied structures destroyed and 17 large outbuildings such as barns and shops lost, Barnes said. He said crews reopened the county Emergency Operations Center at 6:30 a.m. and monitored fires overnight, and that a planned Type 1 incident command team from FEMA and forestry resources were being sought to base in Oklahoma City.
Barnes described recent weather that aided firefighters: “This morning, what really changed the game a little bit was the cooler temperatures, but we had a 47 degree point increase in humidity in less than 3 hours.” He said the humidity rise allowed firefighters to gain control of several incidents and that, at the time of his report, there were no active large fires in Oklahoma County, though adjacent Logan County still had active wildland fires in remote areas.
Barnes also clarified that county staff had asked the governor to issue a statewide gubernatorial burn ban because local conditions do not meet the statutory standard to impose a county-enforced burn ban. He said the governor’s action would, if taken, encompass Oklahoma County.
Barnes told the board that as of the meeting there were seven federal fire-management assistance grant requests in process and that one grant for Oklahoma County had already been approved. He asked the commissioners to support the emergency declaration; the board voted in favor.
Commissioners and staff thanked firefighters and county crews who worked long shifts to cut fire lines and assist mutual-aid departments. Barnes singled out local and mutual-aid firefighting efforts in Deer Creek and elsewhere and corrected an earlier media report that had suggested an evacuation in the county.
The emergency declaration authorizes county purchasing flexibilities and positions the county to apply for and receive federal fire-management funding as incidents continue to be monitored.
