Continued dangerous fire behavior conditions prompted interagency wildland personnel to extend the Fuels and Fire Behavior Advisory through April 4. Sunday’s weather pattern provided only limited moisture across the state. Gusty winds and a warming trend the remainder of the week will return wildland fuel moistures to critically low levels.
Sunday’s moisture varied from a trace to nearly 1-inch in isolated areas.
“We are not out of the woods yet,” said George Geissler, Oklahoma Forestry Services director. While the rain was a welcome relief, it did little to alleviate the extremely dry fuel conditions that are prevalent across the state.
“The rain gave some of our firefighting resources a small window to assess needs and prepare to respond quickly to new fire starts,” said Geissler. A gradual warming trend throughout the week will bring fire weather to near critical conditions.
Citizens are requested to avoid areas where active fire is present, monitor media sources and adhere to evacuation notices affecting residences and places of employment.
A Governor’s Burn Ban, as well as several County Commissioner issued bans are in effect. For the most updated list of counties under a burn ban, visit http://www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-info.
Oklahoma Forestry Services is the state’s lead agency related to wildland fire prevention, protection and use. For additional information about wildfires, visit www.forestry.ok.gov/wildfire-information.
