A wildfire that tore through northwest Oklahoma City on Aug. 13, damaged multiple structures, forced residents to evacuate and is now considered suspicious by fire investigators.
The fire broke out around 4 p.m. near West Reno Avenue and NW 10th Street at County Line Road, according to The Oklahoman. It spread quickly into the nearby Holliday Outt RV and Mobile Home Park, where residents scrambled to get out.
"It all happened so fast. We didn't really grab anything," park resident Dale Hibbs told KOCO on Friday, Aug. 14.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department posted on X at 5:29 p.m. Thursday that 25 resources were on scene and one trailer park had been evacuated. The department ultimately deployed 34 units to fight the blaze, with Payne, Logan and Canadian counties sending 18 additional vehicles including brush pumpers, tankers and command vehicles. The Mustang Fire Department also sent a water tanker.
Maj. John Chenoweth of the Oklahoma City Fire Department told KOCO the terrain complicated suppression efforts, noting crews had a large number of brush pumpers still on scene hitting hot spots in difficult-to-reach areas.
Damage and investigation
The fire damaged one mobile home, a barn, two outbuildings, two RVs or travel trailers, a Conex box, a flatbed trailer and a passenger vehicle, according to News9. Two homes sustained exterior siding damage. Three structures were total losses.
No injuries were reported.
By 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the fire was under control and crews were addressing remaining hot spots. The OKCFD Fire Investigation Unit has classified the blaze as suspicious. Anyone with information can call the arson hotline at 405-232-7766.
Water contamination order
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issued a do-not-ingest water order for Holliday Outt Mobile Home Park on Saturday, Aug. 15, citing possible contamination and heat damage to the park's drinking water equipment from the fire.
The American Red Cross set up a support post to assist displaced residents and provided food and water to firefighters.
Dangerous conditions persist
The fire struck during extreme heat and drought. A heat advisory remained in effect through 7 p.m. Aug. 16, with temperatures in the lower 100s, according to KFOR meteorologist Jon Slater. Winds out of the southwest at 10 to 25 mph elevated fire danger across western and central Oklahoma, with heat indices near 110 degrees.
Residents in the NW 10th Street area alerted neighbors as the fire approached, KFOR reported. The fire also prompted road closures, though specific streets and durations were not confirmed.
Oklahoma City firefighters have responded to more than 200 grass fires since July amid the ongoing drought.
