Wildfire — Lincoln, Oklahoma

2006-03-01 · Lincoln, Oklahoma

Event narrative

High winds and record temperatures in the 90s combined with the already dry conditions across the area to increase the wildfire potential across parts of Oklahoma. Several wildfires occurred across the area on the first day of March. The largest fires occurred in Stephens county around the Duncan area and in Lincoln county in the Chandler area. These fires caused evacuations of many residents. The fire in Stephens county was said to be 8 miles long at times. Numerous fire personnel from federal, state, and local agencies worked together to fight the fires. Three firefighters were injured in Lincoln county. Two of the three firefighters were injured when the fire caused a propane tank to explode throwing the firefighters into the air. In Stephens county, two firefighters were severely burned when they became trapped by the blaze. One of these firefighters died in the hospital on March 24, 2006 due to burns over 50% of his body. Two other firefighters were injured by this fire due to smoke inhalation. Overall, these fires burned over 10,000 acres. The fires also burned 86 homes with 65 homes totally destroyed, along with numerous outbuildings, vehicles, farm equipment, and hay bales.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5494277. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.