Shamrock, Okla. – Firefighters chased a grass fire hop- scotching across a northeast Oklahoma town Tuesday, while officials in Texas and New Mexico kept tabs on the wind and several huge wildfires that crews were fighting to contain.
In Shamrock, a fire that was believed to be arson destroyed an abandoned schoolhouse, a home and other buildings as it raced through the town of about 100 residents. It took an air tanker several passes to put down the blaze.
In the past week and a half, grass fires started by as little as a spark from a car or an arcing power line have burned more than 600,000 acres across a drought- stricken stretch of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.
The fires have destroyed at least 450 homes and killed four people.
A National Weather Service “red flag warning” was in effect Tuesday and today, meaning heat, low humidity and gusting wind were expected.
“It just seems like Mother Nature’s not cutting us any slack,” said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Traci Weaver.
A 50,000-acre fire in Texas’ Irion and Reagan counties, west of San Angelo, was nearly contained Tuesday.
In Oklahoma, it was much the same scene. Fires that began Sunday and continued into Monday reignited Tuesday near Davis, Stroud and Eufaula.
In New Mexico, firefighters doused grass just across the Texas state line. They were finally able to contain fires that had burned 10 homes hear Hobbs.
