SW Oklahoma’s Slick Hills Wildfire Was Intense

As the clouds and scattered showers moved through Southwest Oklahoma late yesterday evening, a massive wildfire took off near the Slick Hills. How exactly did it start?

If you weren't aware, the current weather conditions have turned most of the state into a literal tinder box. Temperatures have been incredibly hot, it's been incredibly dry, and that makes for incredibly flammable conditions.

Only a few days ago, information was released that stated our humidity was so low that single embers were able to carry some 900 feet on the wind. Meaning a single spark could literally fly three football fields away to ignite another blaze. To make things worse, everything is so hot and dry at the moment that almost any source of heat can kick off a roaring blaze.

One wildfire that burned across North Texas yesterday was traced back to an open trash can that had a glass bottle laying on top. If you've ever held a magnifying glass over an ant hill, you know the effect this creates.

The Slick Hills wildfire was attributed to one of the pop-up rain showers. A single, errant lightning strike was hot enough to light the valley on fire.

Fortunately, volunteer fire departments from all over the area surrounding the Slick Hills suited up to fight back at Mother Nature along Highway 58.

According to one Apache VFD firefighter, it was a blaze that lingered on well into the wee hours of this morning, but the cooperative departments were successful in snuffing out the blaze. All members of each crew safely returned home last night.

As we roll through the rest of this dangerously dry summer, be vigilant of your actions in the name of fire safety. Don't toss your cigarettes out the window, be super aware of your grilling game, and be sure to confirm your trailer chains aren't sagging enough to contact the road surface. Every time trailer chains hit the road, whether it's concrete or gravel, it creates sparks that can very easily light the state on fire.