Oklahoma fire chief gives update on wildfire damage, more than 50 homes lost
Firefighters across Oklahoma were on high alert and worked tirelessly on Friday to tackle wildfires that popped up across the state.
Updated: 10:37 AM CDT Mar 15, 2025
WINDS HAVE DIED DOWN. GREAT NEWS THERE. WE WANT TO GET RIGHT UP TO THIS. CHASE RUTLEDGE IS IN SKY NEWS SKY 5 WE WANT TO GET TO HIS SHOT THIS MORNING. WE HAVE HIM AND WE. HE IS ALSO. I SHOULD HAVE SAID WITH WOODCREST FIRE CHIEF LUKE YOUNG. HE’S GIVING US A SURVEY RIGHT NOW OF LOGAN COUNTY. CHASE, YOU’RE WITH HIM RIGHT NOW. AND, LUKE, GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. YOU’RE KIND OF GIVING A BIRD’S EYE VIEW THIS MORNING OF SOME OF THE DAMAGE IN YOUR AREA. SO WALK US THROUGH KIND OF WHAT YOU’RE SEEING AND WHAT THE RESPONSE IS LIKE THIS MORNING COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. WELL, THIS MORNING, THINGS HAVE OBVIOUSLY SETTLED DOWN QUITE A BIT WITH THE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE WINDS. OBVIOUSLY, WE’RE ACTUALLY GETTING A GREAT SURVEY THANKS TO SKY NEWS FIVE AND CHASE. WE APPRECIATE HIS HELP AND ASSISTANCE WITH THIS. IT IS QUITE DEVASTATING TO SEE IT FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE. GETTING THAT BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF IT. RIGHT NOW WE’RE ESTIMATING AT LEAST 50 STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN LOST AT THIS TIME AS FAR AS RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES. WE’RE IN THE AREA OF MERIDIAN. WE’RE ACTUALLY NOT VERY FAR FROM MERIDIAN FIRE STATION. AND IT REALLY HITS HOME FOR US A LOT OF TIMES, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT LOST THEIR HOMES ARE ACTUALLY RELATIVES AND FAMILY. TO OUR FIREFIGHTERS WHO WERE OUT FIGHTING THESE FIRES YESTERDAY AND ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, MANY OF THEM DIDN’T GET HARDLY ANY SLEEP AND ACTUALLY DIDN’T EVEN GET TO COME OFF THE FIRE LINE UNTIL 3 OR 4:00 THIS MORNING. SOME OF THEM, EVEN AFTER THAT, AND THIS FIRE TOOK OFF APPROXIMATELY AROUND 1 P.M. YESTERDAY. SO CREWS WORKED LONG HOURS AND WE TRIED VERY HARD TO GET ADDITIONAL TASK FORCES. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THEM FROM CANADIAN COUNTY AND FROM GARFIELD COUNTY AND FROM FROM SOME OTHER AREAS AS WELL. BUT IT’S JUST REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEE SOME OF THESE THINGS SOMETIMES FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE. AND TO ACTUALLY GET TO HAVE AN AERIAL GRASP OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IS HARD TO SEE. THIS MORNING. SO MANY PEOPLE LOST SO MUCH. YOU SAID 50 STRUCTURES WERE DAMAGED TALKING TO YOU. WE CAN HEAR YOUR EMOTION THIS MORNING TALKING ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY AND EVERYTHING THAT THEY’VE LOST OUT THERE. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN ON THE GROUND TALKING TO EVERYBODY. YOU SAY FIREFIGHTERS, THEIR FAMILIES, HOMES, FRIENDS HOMES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED. HOW IS EVERYBODY FEELING OUT THERE THIS MORNING? I MEAN, EVERYBODY’S DOING A REALLY GREAT JOB ABOUT KEEPING THEIR SPIRITS UP. LOGAN COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND COMMUNITIES ARE VERY RESILIENT PEOPLE, VERY HELPFUL PEOPLE THAT ALWAYS TRY TO KICK IN WHEN EVERYBODY’S IN THE TIME OF NEED. AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE ONCOMING DAYS AND THROUGHOUT THE UPCOMING MONTHS. WHEN THESE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO REBUILD THEIR LIVES AND TRY TO GET REESTABLISHED AND MOVE FORWARD. BUT LUCKILY, I DON’T THINK WE HAD ANY REPORTS OF ANY FATALITIES THAT WERE FIRE RELATED. I DO BELIEVE WE HAD A FEW MINOR INJURIES TO SOME OF THE FIREFIGHTERS WITH SMOKE INHALATION AND HEAT EXHAUSTION, BUT ALL IN ALL, WE WERE VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED THAT WE COULD HAVE EASILY HAVE HAD A SIGNIFICANT LOSS OF LIFE OR A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE HURT.
Oklahoma fire chief gives update on wildfire damage, more than 50 homes lost
Firefighters across Oklahoma were on high alert and worked tirelessly on Friday to tackle wildfires that popped up across the state.
Updated: 10:37 AM CDT Mar 15, 2025
Firefighters across Oklahoma were on high alert and worked tirelessly on Friday to tackle wildfires that popped up across the state.>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelAmong the counties across the state hit hard was Logan County, where acres of land were scorched and families displaced after wildfires destroyed their homes.On Saturday morning, Woodcrest Fire Department Chief Luke Young took to the air with Sky 5 to survey the damage across the county.“This morning things have obviously settled down quite a bit with the significant drop in the winds. We’re actually getting a great survey thanks to Sky 5 and Chase. We appreciate his assistance with this,” Young said.Young said the bird’s eye view gave a real insight into the impact the wildfires had on communities across the county.“Right now, we’re estimating at least 50 structures have been lost at this time, as far as residential structures,” Young said. “It really hits home for us a lot of times because we know that some of the people that lost their homes are actually relatives and family to our firefighters who were out fighting these fires yesterday and all through the night. Many of them didn’t get hardly any sleep and actually didn’t get to come off the fire line until 3 or 4 a.m. this morning.”Young said other agencies assisted in firefighting efforts after a fire near Meridian sparked about 1 p.m. Friday.“Everybody’s doing a really great job about keeping their spirits up,” Young said. “Logan County fire departments and communities are very resilient people, very helpful people that always try to kick in when everybody’s in a time of need and we’ll continue to do that throughout the rest of the oncoming days and throughout the upcoming months when these people are trying to rebuild their lives and try to get reestablished and move forward.”Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.Young said there were no reported fire-related fatalities but that some firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.“All in all, we’re very pleasantly surprised. We could have easily of had a significant loss of life or a lot of other people hurt and we’re just thankful and blessed that that didn’t happen,” Young said.Top HeadlinesEvacuation orders and fire warning still in place across Oklahoma after wildfire outbreakWATCH: Sky 5 surveys devastation caused by Oklahoma wildfiresHead of the Islamic State in Iraq, Syria has been killedGov. Kevin Stitt issued state of emergency for 12 counties devastated by fires
MERIDIAN, Okla. —Firefighters across Oklahoma were on high alert and worked tirelessly on Friday to tackle wildfires that popped up across the state.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
Among the counties across the state hit hard was Logan County, where acres of land were scorched and families displaced after wildfires destroyed their homes.
On Saturday morning, Woodcrest Fire Department Chief Luke Young took to the air with Sky 5 to survey the damage across the county.
“This morning things have obviously settled down quite a bit with the significant drop in the winds. We’re actually getting a great survey thanks to Sky 5 and Chase. We appreciate his assistance with this,” Young said.
Young said the bird’s eye view gave a real insight into the impact the wildfires had on communities across the county.
“Right now, we’re estimating at least 50 structures have been lost at this time, as far as residential structures,” Young said. “It really hits home for us a lot of times because we know that some of the people that lost their homes are actually relatives and family to our firefighters who were out fighting these fires yesterday and all through the night. Many of them didn’t get hardly any sleep and actually didn’t get to come off the fire line until 3 or 4 a.m. this morning.”
Young said other agencies assisted in firefighting efforts after a fire near Meridian sparked about 1 p.m. Friday.
“Everybody’s doing a really great job about keeping their spirits up,” Young said. “Logan County fire departments and communities are very resilient people, very helpful people that always try to kick in when everybody’s in a time of need and we’ll continue to do that throughout the rest of the oncoming days and throughout the upcoming months when these people are trying to rebuild their lives and try to get reestablished and move forward.”
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
Young said there were no reported fire-related fatalities but that some firefighters suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
“All in all, we’re very pleasantly surprised. We could have easily of had a significant loss of life or a lot of other people hurt and we’re just thankful and blessed that that didn’t happen,” Young said.
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