Residents evacuate, firefighters injured as Oklahoma wildfires blaze
Residents evacuate, firefighters injured as Oklahoma wildfires blaze
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY Wed, February 18, 2026 at 2:24 PM UTC
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Multiple wildfires are burning in Oklahoma, prompting evacuations in a small town and injuring firefighters as extreme fire weather continues on Feb. 18, officials said.
The fire near Woodward, Oklahoma, a town of less than 12,000 about 150 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, has burned about 2,000 acres as of 8 p.m. local time on Feb. 17, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Service. The 43 Road Fire affecting Woodward was one of at least four fires in the state, including one that spread into parts of Kansas, totaling over 155,000 acres burned.
Officials in Woodward County issued an evacuation order for the southwest part of the town as crews battled flareups and hotspots.
"We've got quite a mess going on," Matt Lehenbauer, the Woodward County emergency manager, told KOCO 5 News.
Lehenbauer told the outlet that 3,000 to 4,000 people live in the evacuation area, which is heavily wooded. He asked residents to stay away from the area, and said a big problem was the amount of traffic as people fled their homes.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he has pledged state resources to help with response and recovery in Woodward.
"Oklahoma takes care of our own, and we will be there for recovery in the days ahead. We’re praying for the families affected and the brave first responders on the front lines," he said.
The largest fire burning in the state, the Ranger Road Fire that started in Beaver County, has spread over 145,000 acres and reached into Kansas, where other fires were also burning amid the critical fire weather, the Forestry Service said the evening of Feb. 17.
4 firefighters injured in Oklahoma
Authorities said at least four firefighters have been injured while working to contain blazes in Beaver County, where the Ranger Road Fire was burning.
Three were injured when a fire truck with Rosston Fire overturned, according to Oklahoma Highway Patrol. They were taken to local hospitals.
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Another firefighter was injured and taken to a hospital, the Forestry Service reported. The circumstances of that injury weren't shared.
Evacuations ordered across multiple counties as buildings burn
Evacuations were ordered in parts of Woodward, Beaver and Texas counties, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Service.
Three structures were destroyed in Woodward County, including two at a U.S. Department of Agriculture facility, according to the Forestry Service. In Beaver County, "numerous outbuildings" were destroyed. In Texas County, five structures were destroyed.
As of 8 p.m. on Feb. 17, this is how much multiple wildfires had spread:
Ranger Road Fire, Beaver County: 145,000 acres combined in Oklahoma and Kansas
Stevens Fire, Texas County: 5,000 acres
Side Road Fire, Texas County: 3,300 acres
43 Road Fire, Woodward County: 2,000 acres
The Side Road Fire started as the result of a seven-vehicle crash on U.S. Route 54, the Forestry Service said.
Wildfire weather continues as alerts blanket High Plains states
The National Weather Service said extremely dry conditions and gusty winds were continuing in the High Plains region on Feb. 18. Red flag warnings blanketed parts of western Oklahoma, northwest Texas, southwest Kansas, parts of Colorado and much of New Mexico.
The conditions are expected to spread eastward across much of Oklahoma, the weather service office in Norman said. The red flag warnings in the state are expected to last through 8 p.m. local time.
Wind gusts can get up to 40 mph and the relative humidity is 10% to 15%.
"Whereas yesterday was very concerning for northwest Oklahoma *only*, today will be a less-extreme environment, but across a much broader portion of Oklahoma/western north Texas," the weather service in Norman said.
Critical fire danger will last through at least Feb. 19, the weather service in Norman said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latest on Oklahoma wildfires as evacuations ordered, firefighters hurt
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