Updated February 19, 2026 at 9:50 AM CST
This story was last updated Thursday, Feb. 19, at 9:41 a.m.
Oklahoma fire crews are battling several wildfires that have consumed more than 300,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas.
According to NASA's fire information system there are a handful of small wildfires in eastern Oklahoma, with four massive blazes in western Oklahoma. As of Thursday morning, the fires included:
- Ranger Road Fire (Beaver County / Kansas): 283,283 Acres
- Stevens Fire (Texas County): 12,428 Acres
- Side Road Fire (Texas County): 3,680 Acres
- 43 Fire (Woodward County): 1,680 Acres
Yesterday, 33 fires and hotspots were reported in 23 counties across the state. Officials are asking residents to report property damage.
The fires have injured four firefighters in Beaver County and destroyed eight structures in Texas and Woodward Counties.
Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for all three of those counties Wednesday morning. He said two more local task forces would be deployed to Beaver County.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for nearly the entire state, except the southeast corner. Scientists at the service are again concerned about near critical fire weather today.
Meteorologists expect wind gusts up to 45 miles an hour today along with relatively low humidity and warm temperatures.
The mix of conditions means any developing fires will spread rapidly so outdoor burning is not recommended.Emergency managers say the public should be prepared and if they are called evacuate, have a bag ready in order to leave the house quickly.
Melanie Matt with the Woodward County OSU Extension said offices in affected counties are taking calls to coordinate donations and needs of producers. She also pointed out that the Extension can connect people with resources to deal with loss and other emotional needs.
"When fires hit, there's an emotional toll," Matt said. "They're not alone in their feelings and in their loss."
'Luck or blessing' in Woodward
The fires were particularly devastating in Woodward.
About 4,000 people were evacuated by local police on Tuesday afternoon as the fire moved toward the city, eventually destroying three structures, including two at a local U.S. Department of Agriculture facility. Nearly all of those evacuation orders were lifted late Tuesday night, although shelters remained open for people who needed them.
The fields around Woodward were still hazy midday Wednesday.
Among stretches of blackened ground, some small patches were still smouldering.
Not including volunteer crews from surrounding communities, the city has about 40 firefighters. Officials say at least 200 people responded to the fire.
Marcus Stephenson, fire marshal and training officer for the Woodward Fire Department, said the extra help and change in weather conditions prevented devastation in neighborhoods.
"We're still trying to get estimates but it looks like at this moment, we haven't lost any structures inside city limits, which being on it and in the middle of it, I didn't think that was a possibility," Stephenson said.
The fire's tracks of scorched grass stretch across fields, near buildings and roads.
"Whether it was luck or blessing, the wind shifted slightly out of that time," Stephenson said. "The south wind turned into a north wind, and it pushed it just south of these houses."
Typically, he said, the city does not see fires to this scale. But they knew this year would be tough because of the drought and the large amount of dry, dead or dormant plants on the ground.
Some neighborhoods are also near unmanaged fields, and this, coupled with high wind speeds, Stephenson said, made it harder to fight. With help from additional fire departments, they were able to stop the fire from damaging structures.
Woodward's Emergency Manager Matt Lehenbauer said yesterday's fire danger was extreme, and the fire broke out in a wooded area with lots of cedar trees. Cedars are prime fuel for wildfires, causing them to burn higher and hotter.
"So it broke out about a mile and a half outside of town, and the wind was blowing from that direction into town. So, a terrible situation. It spread rapidly," Lehenbauer said. "It was in town before we even got all the Woodward firefighters there and we have a full-time fire department here."
He said crews got a handle on the fire on Tuesday evening. Because of the increased fire risk, task forces were out Wednesday afternoon taking action to prevent fires that could spark later.
"We were hoping that the models yesterday — the weather models were showing some precipitation over the weekend," Lehenbauer said. "And that went away."
Because of the rapid response from firefighters and teamwork with the water department, they were able to prevent widespread property damage.
The city is home to the USDA Agricultural Research Service's Southern Plains Range Research Station. A USDA spokesperson said the fire burned about 500 acres of grass. Three buildings were damaged including the irrigation pump house and two barns.
"No research buildings or equipment suffered irreparable damage, and all personnel and animals remained safe, the USDA spokesperson said. "Research activities continue unaffected."
Ranches burned in Beaver County
All four of the large fires that began Tuesday night were in Sen. Casey Murdock's district. The Republican from Felt said the fire has affected many of his constituents' livelihoods.
Murdock heard from one Beaver County rancher who lost 51 cows. He said he knew of a producer in Kansas who lost 500.
"Ranchers spend a lifetime building their herds, building that genetics," he said. "It's not the monetary loss, because cattle are worth a lot of money today. It's that genetic loss, that lifetime of building those genetics is gone."
Even producers who didn't lose any cattle may have problems keeping their herds fed after fires burned up thousands of acres of grazing land. That means spending money on hay until the grass grows back.
"We're going to have a window from February 17 to when the grass starts coming in in the spring," Murdock said. "Now these guys are going to have to feed and they're going to have that expense on the cattle that survived."
Murdock said disaster funds may come from the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Three of the fires have received Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations from FEMA, although it's unclear how much funding those will bring or on what timeline.
Murdock also emphasized the importance of supporting rural volunteer firefighters and controlling the spread of highly flammable eastern redcedars. In the meantime, he said, the people of northwest Oklahoma will remain resilient.
"Pray for these people," Murdock said. "This is their livelihoods. It's not just a ranch in pretty rolling hills — this is a guy's job."
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