Oklahoma Wild Fires

[OKplotter]

The drought has been severe this year in Oklahoma, but the wild fires this weekend were devastating. Here is a pic of the fire starting on my in laws 100 acres that we hunt on.

Here one of us is working to save the house and barn. Pic taken from back patio.

After praying and fighting all night thru wind changes we won the battle thanks to the Good Lord, and saved the house and barn. Out of 100 acres only about an acre around the house and barn was unburned.

When we started looking around after sun up Sunday morning we found our trailers and a neighbors house looked like this.

I'm counting my blessings that all we lost were things like duck blinds, tree stands, wood corner posts and of course the trailers. However, is there anything i can do in the near future to fix land that looks like this?

 

[loneranger]

And we worry about dry food plots.. but I wonder if it will get that dry in Iowa? My part of it is headed in that direction.

 

[NWBuck]

Yikes...glad you are all OK. Doesn't look like it killed the large trees??

NWBuck

 

[AZHunter]

I'm glad you are ok and you saved your barn and house. Sorry to hear about the rest of your losses and your neighbor's loss. I work in fire ecology and am a wildland firefighter, too, and I can tell you that the 100 acres will return. At least the undergrowth (grasses and shrubs) will return and it will likely return stronger, especially after good rains. The trees are a different story. It looks like there is crown scorching, but I can't tell for sure from the pics. If you can get some better pics, I can give you a better idea. What would worry me about the long-term health of the large trees is whether or not you get any rain soon. That will help strengthen them and increase their chance for long-term survival. If they are too far gone, it may take a couple of years for them to die completely. If they aren't too far gone and they get rain soon, they have a decent chance of coming back. Good luck!

 

[kwright]

That's the problem; no rain. Our local meteorologists were excited this week about a cool front coming through that would drop temperatures all the way down to 99F. But no real chance of rain on the forecast. Where are you in NE Oklahoma, OKPlotter? I live in Cushing, and it felt like we had fires on all sides.

 

[OKplotter]

Where are you in NE Oklahoma, OKPlotter? I live in Cushing, and it felt like we had fires on all sides.

I live in Sand Springs, but my in law's land that burned is in the Mannford area. The fire jumped a big part of Keystone lake that we thought gave them some security from fire to the west. You live and learn!

 

[OKplotter]

This picture gives an idea of how close the fire got to the barn. It was basically this close on all sides of the house and barn.

We have actually seen several deer and turkeys remaining. Even though they stick out like a sore thumb and have nothing to eat.

 

[mtndewdrank]

I wouldnt worry about the land it will fix itself