OLIVIA. YEAH, GUYS, WE’RE HERE AT WEST AVENUE NORTH RANCH. WE ARE RIGHT BY THE SMOKE. AND JOE STILLEY, FOR THOSE FAMILIAR WITH THE AREA, HEAVY FLAMES OVER HERE AT THIS INTERSECTION. AS YOU CAN SEE RIGHT BEHIND ME, MY PHOTOGRAPHER AUSTIN IS SHOWING YOU GUYS RIGHT NOW. THE AREA IS JUST FILLED WITH SMOKE, FILLED WITH THAT THICK SMOKE, AND POLICE ARE CURRENTLY DIVERTING TRAFFIC TO DIFFERENT AREAS. THE LATEST WE HAVE FROM OSU IS THE CAMPUS IS STILL SAFE. THEY ARE ACTUALLY IN THE SAFEST PART OF STILLWATER. SOME FOLKS ARE SAYING RIGHT NOW, WE DID HAVE THE CHANCE TO CATCH UP. SOME FOLKS AT THE STILLWATER COMMUNITY CENTER WHO TELL US THAT THEY ARE WORRIED. THEY KNOW THE FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY CREWS WILL TAKE CARE OF IT, BUT THERE IS STILL CONCERN IN THE COMMUNITY AT THIS TIME. THE LATEST WE HAVE FROM STILLWATER EMERGENCY CREWS IS 750 TO 1000 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EVACUATED. THERE’S NO REPORTS OF INJURIES YET. MULTIPLE STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN LOST DUE TO THESE FLAMES. AND AGAIN, AS ABIGAIL WAS MENTIONING, THAT EMERGENCY CREWS ARE SAYING THEY DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCE THAT THEY NEED AND THEY CAN USE 250 MORE BRUSH PUMPERS, AND THE FIREFIGHTERS WILL NEED BRAKES, BUT THEY’RE NOT SURE WHEN THEY WILL BE PROVIDING THAT. AGAIN, I’M GOING TO HAVE YOU JUST TAKE A LITTLE BIT LONGER OF A LOOK TO SEE WHAT WE ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW BY THE SMOKE AND JOE STILLEY, WE ARE GOING TO BE UP HERE FOR A LITTLE BIT LONGER IN THE EVENING, AND WE WILL BRIN
Stillwater officials give update on devastation wrought by Oklahoma wildfires
Among the cities and towns heavily impacted by Friday’s wildfires was Stillwater, where multiple evacuations were ordered after fires sparked Friday afternoon.
Updated: 12:02 PM CDT Mar 15, 2025
Among the cities and towns heavily impacted by Friday’s wildfires was Stillwater, where multiple evacuations were ordered after fires sparked Friday afternoon.>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channelOn Saturday, city and emergency response officials gave an update on the carnage from the fires.“Yesterday, about 1:20 p.m., we had multiple fires break out across the south and southwest parts of Stillwater. The fires spread rapidly, and we had difficulty containing each and every one of them due to the high winds and low humidity,” said Stillwater Fire Chief Terry Essary. Essary listed off a large number of agencies that took up the call to help the city battle blazes. “Due to the weather … we were quickly overwhelmed due to the conditions. We did the best we could with what we had,” Essary said. “To be honest with you, to see your community on fire is a very unsettling thing. It’s something a fire chief never wants to experience. But, as a group, collectively, we went to work, and we started doing the best we could for as many people as possible.”Essary said on Saturday that firefighters were still out hitting hot spots and trying to keep everything contained to already burned areas.“We’re still having some flare ups, and some new fires start in the south and southwest parts of town and also around our response area,” he said.Essary said there were a few reported injuries, but they were mainly due to smoke inhalation and dehydration. All that were injured were treated and released.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.“We anticipate that more than 50 homes and structures that were either impacted or lost. We expect that number to increase as we can fully assess our coverage area,” Essary said. “What we anticipate is that more fires will ignite. We’re not done with this yet. We’re going to still have hotspots, we’re going to have rekindles in the burn area and this could continue for the next few days. So, were still out there working and we’re not done.”Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce thanked all the agencies that have worked tirelessly to keep the fires under control and thanked the community for their resilience in the face of adversity.“Stillwater is Stillwater Strong. This community … uses that terminology because it means something and it means something to us as a community,” Joyce said.Officials said residents should call 911 immediately if they spot a fire.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
STILLWATER, Okla. —Among the cities and towns heavily impacted by Friday’s wildfires was Stillwater, where multiple evacuations were ordered after fires sparked Friday afternoon.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel
On Saturday, city and emergency response officials gave an update on the carnage from the fires.
“Yesterday, about 1:20 p.m., we had multiple fires break out across the south and southwest parts of Stillwater. The fires spread rapidly, and we had difficulty containing each and every one of them due to the high winds and low humidity,” said Stillwater Fire Chief Terry Essary.
Essary listed off a large number of agencies that took up the call to help the city battle blazes.
“Due to the weather … we were quickly overwhelmed due to the conditions. We did the best we could with what we had,” Essary said. “To be honest with you, to see your community on fire is a very unsettling thing. It’s something a fire chief never wants to experience. But, as a group, collectively, we went to work, and we started doing the best we could for as many people as possible.”
Essary said on Saturday that firefighters were still out hitting hot spots and trying to keep everything contained to already burned areas.
“We’re still having some flare ups, and some new fires start in the south and southwest parts of town and also around our response area,” he said.
Essary said there were a few reported injuries, but they were mainly due to smoke inhalation and dehydration. All that were injured were treated and released.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
“We anticipate that more than 50 homes and structures that were either impacted or lost. We expect that number to increase as we can fully assess our coverage area,” Essary said. “What we anticipate is that more fires will ignite. We’re not done with this yet. We’re going to still have hotspots, we’re going to have rekindles in the burn area and this could continue for the next few days. So, were still out there working and we’re not done.”
Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce thanked all the agencies that have worked tirelessly to keep the fires under control and thanked the community for their resilience in the face of adversity.
“Stillwater is Stillwater Strong. This community … uses that terminology because it means something and it means something to us as a community,” Joyce said.
Officials said residents should call 911 immediately if they spot a fire.
Top Headlines
