Wildfires Continue to Rage in Oklahoma – But Relief May Be on the Way
Wildfires in Oklahoma are continuing to scorch everything in their path Friday, with flames reaching up to 70 feet and burning more than 350,000 acres total.
The Rhea Fire raging in the western part of the state has burned over 283,000 acres alone in just the last week.
Conditions remain critical as Oklahoma hasn't seen rainfall in over 150 days.
Oklahoma Forestry Services say a combination of strong winds and dry vegetation, particularly the eastern red cedar trees, have caused the fires to burn faster than usual.
However, relief may be on the way. The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, reports showers and isolated thunderstorms are in the forecast for both Friday and Saturday.
The rain is coming! Showers and isolated storms will begin moving into western Oklahoma and western north Texas this afternoon and spread east this evening and overnight. #okwx #texomawx pic.twitter.com/wkQTlkKC3y
— NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) April 20, 2018
Meanwhile, officials have set a burn ban in place for 36 counties as fire danger remains high.
The blaze has killed two people since its start.
