There were several big fires yesterday with wind gusts to 70 mph. The one that burned around 500 acres of our grass and several miles of fence was 20,000 acres at sundown. Think we saved all our cows but lost a few baby calves. Haven't heard an update this morning. Know of two homes lost. We are ok. Will take days too separate cows and evaluate the extent of damages. Praying for a rain soon
West Central Oklahoma fires
- Thread starter elkwc
- Start date
Mrcopier
Well-known member
Wow so glad you're safe. That's horrific
We had to evacuate. That was downright scary! Fortunately, the wind shifted and the fire just a few miles from us went east. Well, fortunately for us, not so much another neighbor. Some of their cattle have burned udders and feet but (so far) didn't lose any. Lots of limbs and some trees down from 70+ mph wind but no significant damage.
AmandaQ
Well-known member
I'm so very sorry, this is devastating!
Travlr
Well-known member
That's tough. We helped people move in an evacuation a few years ago. The whole thing of when to evacuate, not sure, the fire getting closer, still not sure, and then the hustle of what can we save in the last minutes...
Fortunately they also made it out. Feel for you and your neighbors. It's hard...
Dave
Well-known member
Sorry for you. Having looked that monster in the eye at midnight July 17 I know it can be mighty stressful.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
The wind is supposed to kick back up again tomorrow. We've been very fortunate up here. Stay safe!
kenny thomas
Well-known member
I was there in April 2018 when it burned 280,000 acres in just a few days. It is wild what a fire can do. It goes and does whatever the wind tells it too.
We lost at least 2 miles of fence. The fire split. The first went just over a mile to the north. The second jumped the highway and hit us on the west side about two hours later. It trapped our replacements in a corner. Luckily we were able to get them moved to a wheat field. We were one calf short. Guessing he got shoved through the fence when they were balled up in the corner. Got him back with his mother today.
It appeared to be under control around sundown. Need a rain to clean the air, to put out the smiling flare ups. Afraid we will have flare ups every day. We trees still smoldering in the canyons.
I thought it had when down, I was on the roof patching shingles.
Geez I hate to hear you lost so much fence. Hopefully the rains will come and green things up. Fires aren't something we think about in our area but last year we had one about a mile East of us bad enough to bring planes, helicopters, and dozers in before it got out of control. It was headed our way and definitely got our attention. I've got friends that helped after the fires in West Texas several years back and hard to imagine the damage. Wishing you the best in a bad situation.
backhoeboogie
Well-known member
Sorry to hear of your losses. I lived it in '90. Have never used a wooden post since.
We were worried here in this part of Texas. I had hooked up the tractor to the disc just in case. I have run the fire line pulling a disc a few times. We were spared this time around.
It also hurts the wire and steel posts. We have had several fires the last ten years. The biggest was in 2017. Some of that wire was ruined. The slower a fire moves the damage seems to be worse. We have very few fences with wood posts. Had some wood corner and H braces. Figure we will have too replace around 2 miles of fence.
So did the one by us. But it flared up again Saturday. The Fire Department issued a press release saying there was a controlled burn on the property earlier in the week. Who does a "controlled burn" prior to multiple warnings of catastrophic winds?!? Those embers stay hot a long time.
There has been flare up every day here. So far they have managed to get them out. Today might be different with 45-50 mph winds. The weather forecasters are saying at least 13 days before any rain. Awake part of the night do we sell part of them, pen and feed hay for 2 weeks hoping for rain or overstock other pastures for a few weeks and then possibly having too sell more. Talked to FSA yesterday. They say it will be a few weeks likely before they know what assistance will be an available. Said those like us that graze left over grass instead of feeding hay might not get as much if any help. Said sometimes they only offer help to those that lost hay. In my mind we leave our hay in the pasture and graze it. So have to make the decision in a few hours.
And found out yesterday they plan to deliver the bull I bought this week.
Pray everyone gets some rain and we don't get fires where it hasn't burned.
And found out yesterday they plan to deliver the bull I bought this week.
Pray everyone gets some rain and we don't get fires where it hasn't burned.
Dave
Well-known member
If your FSA can find out about assistance in a few weeks they are much much faster than FSA here. Our fire was in July last summer. They are just now talking about grazing loss and a few of the smaller operations are getting fence money.
bird dog
Well-known member
When half of my placed burned in 2014, the fence posts were all wood but the corners and h's were steel. Even though the wire was shot, it was still there and some T'posts allowed us to to get the fence back up until some new could be built. The cows took advantage of the situation to check out the neighbors 5000 acre spread. I found them about 1 1/2 miles away. They decided three days later that back home was where they wanted to be. They didn't have much to eat for two or three weeks but the burned out area responded well to the fire and we had good grass the rest of the summer.
FSA decided wisely to just pay the big land owner to fix his fence and everybody's that bordered him. He had a good crew and they had it all fixed a year later. Steel posts this time.
FSA decided wisely to just pay the big land owner to fix his fence and everybody's that bordered him. He had a good crew and they had it all fixed a year later. Steel posts this time.
