Wildfires rage in Oklahoma as thousands urged to evacuate a small city

Warm, dry and windy weather in Oklahoma has fueled multiple wildfires and prompted authorities to urge nearly one-third of the residents of the small city of Woodward to flee.

Matt Lehenbauer, director of emergency management for Woodward and its nearly 12,000 inhabitants, said the evacuation recommendation covers roughly 4,000 people. It is voluntary, he said, because Oklahoma prohibits mandatory evacuations.

The wildfire in Woodward, about 140 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, is approaching a "worst-case scenario," Lehenbauer said, but hasn't moved into the most populated area of the city.

A blaze in Beaver County at the base of the Oklahoma Panhandle, about 217 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, has consumed an estimated 15,000 acres alone, Oklahoma Forestry Services said.The agency posted video of golden farmland set against the backdrop of roiling flames and dark smoke rising and sidestepping like a thunderstorm.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/wildfires-rage-in-oklahoma-as-thousands-urged-to-evacuate-a-small-city/ar-AA1WypVn