Oklahoma wildfire scorches more than 12,000 acres in wildlife refuge
One of the country's oldest wildlife refuges has been charred amid another fire weather threat this week.
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The National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, has warned about dangerous fire weather conditions, including the area around the Rush Fire, which has burned through more than 12,000 acres in the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.
The entire refuge in Indiahoma, Oklahoma, about an hour and a half southwest of Oklahoma City, was closed to the public this past Saturday. In a news conference, Wildfire Refuge Manager Amber Zimmerman said this was done to allow fire teams and other first responders the ability to operate unimpeded.
Rush Fire scorches the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma. (Comanche County/Lawton Emergency Management)
Bone-dry conditions combined with unseasonably warm temperatures have created a fire weather threat across parts of the central U.S. for the beginning of the week. Parts of Oklahoma will see high temperatures in the 90s Monday.
The refuge reported on social media that the fire started last Thursday and has already reached more than 12,000 acres. While private land has been impacted, the fire is only active in the special-use area of the refuge. Those are areas that are not open to the general public.
Langford Comanche Emergency Management lifted evacuation orders this weekend but warned that people south of the wildlife refuge are already dealing with a lot of smoke. Emergency Director Clint Langford said that people with respiratory issues should take safety precautions. Some 150 people from 20 agencies have been assigned to tamping down the flames.
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As for the animals, Zimmerman said, those in the refuge are adapted to fire as a "natural process." She said the fire was not a major threat to animals in the refuge, including the Wichita's Bison herd, which was able to escape areas currently burning.
The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is one of the oldest in the country, established in 1901 by President William McKinley.