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Wildfire
danger remains high today across the state, with weather conditions producing
very dry air, warm temperatures and low relative humidity.?? Red Flag Warning conditions across the
majority of the state on Thursday resulted in the start of numerous new fires
in Oklahoma, while firefighters continued suppression efforts on existing
fires. Firefighters are taking advantage of light winds and cloud cover today
to increase containment on all fires.

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Oklahoma
Forestry Services has established a statewide area command in Oklahoma City to
prioritize the allocation of state and federal resources. State and Federal
aircraft remain prepositioned across the state to support on-going and emerging
incidents. Additional wildland fire suppression resources have been ordered
from the Southern Forest Fire Compact to assist with on-going and new initial
attack incidents.??

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The
350 Complex Fire in Woodward and Harper Counties remains the largest fire
currently burning in the state, with 57,440 acres burned and 20% containment. ??Oklahoma Forestry Services ordered a Type 2
Incident Management Team from Texas A&M Forest Service to manage the fire
in unified command with the Woodward Fire Department.?? Two Oklahoma Army National Guard helicopters
were utilized on Thursday, along with several County Wildland Task Forces,
Oklahoma Forestry Services, and other firefighting resources from Tennessee,
Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. ??Damage
assessment has been delayed due to active fire behavior however Woodward County
Emergency Management reports NW Electric Company has $312,500 in damage and 125
power poles; Farm and Ranch Fencing has $900,000 in damages.?? The cause of the fire has been identified as
arcing power lines.

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New
fires that started in Oklahoma on Thursday include:????

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• Fish Creek (Pushmataha) ??" Oklahoma Forestry Services committed three Type 2
  Dozers, One Type 6 Engine, and four OFS firefighters to this
  incendiary-caused wildfire that burned 120 acres in a pine
  plantation.?? The Cloudy Volunteer Fire
  Department assisted with the suppression of this fire that occurred five
  miles north of Rattan, OK.?? The fire
  is 50% contained and mop-up will occur today.

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• Pittsburg South (Pittsburg County) ??" Forestry Services' East Central Area responded to this
  incendiary-caused wildfire that burned 660 acres twenty miles south of
  McAlester. ??Oklahoma Forestry
  Services committed two Type 3 Dozers, two Type 6 Engines and four OFS
  firefighters assisted several fire departments with this incident.?? The fire is 100% contained.

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• Salt Hollow (Adair County) ??" Forestry Services' Northeast Area dispatched two Type 3
  Dozers, two Type 6 Engines and four firefighters to this incendiary-caused
  wildfire that burned 150 acres five miles southwest of Greasy, OK.

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• Varsity (Creek County) ??" The Bristow Fire Department and the Bureau of Indian
  Affairs (BIA) were committed to this incident that started late yesterday
  and has burned an estimated 2,500 acres seven miles south of Bristow.?? The BIA committed two Type 1 Airtankers,
  one Type 2 Airtanker, two Single Engine Air Tankers, and a Lead Plane to
  assist with fighting this wildfire.??
  No structures have been reported as damaged or destroyed.?? The cause of the fire is under
  investigation.

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• Brinkley (Pottawatomie County) ??" An Oklahoma Forestry Services Task Force (two Type 3
  dozers, two Type 6 Engines, and a ICT4), two CL-415 Super Scooper
  Airtankers and an Aerial Supervision Module were dispatched to assist the
  Tecumseh Fire Department on this wildfire that burned 53 acres two miles
  north of Macomb.?? The fire is
  approximately 80% contained.?? The
  cause of the fire is under investigation.

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???Our fire crews, along with the additional personnel, equipment
and aircraft that we have brought in, are well positioned and prepared to
manage existing fire and be prepared for any new fires,??? said George Geissler,
Director of Oklahoma Forestry Services.??
???We ask that the public remains vigilant in their efforts to avoid any
activity that could cause a spark throughout the weekend.???

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With
fire weather remaining high today, any ongoing fires or new fires that start
today have the potential to burn with rapid rates of spread and erratic fire
behavior.?? These conditions continue tomorrow
and may reach extreme levels again on Sunday.

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County
Burn Bans are in effect for Harper, Beaver, Texas, and Cimarron.?? For the most current information on Burn Bans,
visit Oklahoma Forestry Services' website at http://www.forestry.ok.gov/burn-ban-information.

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Oklahoma
Forestry Services is the state's lead agency related to wildland fire
prevention, protection and use. For additional information about wildfires,
visit www.forestry.ok.gov/wildfire-information.

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Photo Caption:?? ??Oklahoma Air National Guard helicopters were
committed to the 350 Complex Fire in Woodward and Harper Counties on Thursday.

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Note to Media:

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For
information about the 350 Complex Fire
in Woodward and Harper Counties contact the Incident Management Team's Public
Information Officer at 979-450-2578.??

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For
information about all other wildfires
and fire conditions in the Oklahoma, contact Oklahoma Forestry Service's
Public Information Officer at 580-236-1021.??

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The
next update release will sent on Monday, April 11th unless
conditions or fire activity warrant a release over the weekend.??

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For
the latest Oklahoma ???Daily Wildfire Situation Report??? visit www.forestry.ok.gov and click the link on
the homepage (green box on right hand side.) The report contains information
about recent fire activity, predicted fire weather and a link for current burn
bans. We encourage media to go to www.facebook.com/OklahomaForestry/ or
www.twitter.com/OKForestService for photos. Please give photo credit to
???Oklahoma Forestry Services,??? unless otherwise indicated.

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About Oklahoma Forestry Services

Oklahoma Forestry Services,
a division of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, is
committed to conserving, enhancing and protecting Oklahoma's 12.5 million acres
of forests and woodlands. Since 1925 Oklahoma Forestry Services has worked with
individuals and communities throughout the state to create resilient
landscapes, fire-adaptive communities and provide wildfire response.?? Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the division
also has regional offices in Goldsby, Broken Bow, Wilburton and Tahlequah.?? For more information, visit http://www.forestry.ok.gov.

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