Fires break out during strong winds and blowing dust in Oklahoma

Storm chaser Mike Scantlin reported live from Oklahoma on the afternoon of March 14 as fires broke out and dust flew through the wind.

Transcript

00:00Dry, windy conditions making for critical fire weather and dust storms across the plains.

00:05Storm chaser Mike Scalin, he's in Merrimack, Oklahoma with more on the situation there, Mike.

00:10So give us an update on where you are. Are you closer to 412 or Highway 64?

00:17Yeah, I'm just about a mile south of 64 here. I'm really kind of between Cleveland and Merrimack here.

00:22This fire started down on 412 over towards Merrimack and it's pushing north and east, just east of northeast.

00:29You know, the clips I shot earlier were down on Highway 99.

00:38So, definitely more rural areas, but there are communities here.

00:41Now this area behind me, where I'm standing, we did have fire crews come through here and telling people to prepare.

00:47This is not an evacuation order, but to get ready for an evacuation order,

00:51because that should be coming shortly if this fire does continue to push north.

00:55Those stronger winds starting to rotate around the bend and push north through here.

01:01So, we had some 60 mile an hour gusts earlier, maybe up to 70.

01:05And then we kind of got, we're in this little bit of a lull here, but that next push is coming through.

01:10I can actually hear the wind starting to pick up here through the woods here.

01:13So, you know, 60, 70 mile an hour wind gusts on their way here to a fire that's being battled currently.

01:20There's an even bigger fire probably about 30 miles southwest of here towards Kearney-Turkins area there near 44.

01:26Just on the northeast side of the Oklahoma City Metro.

01:28So, I think I'm going to pivot to that one because the area where I was earlier,

01:31they've pretty much got a, from what I can tell, they've got a handle on this one.

01:35So, you know, it's mayhem down here and it's just, it's so windy.

01:41The visibility is so poor.

01:43You know, pay attention to those orders and pay attention to those warnings.

01:46And, you know, get ready to bail if you have to because these things are moving really quickly

01:51and almost impossible to fight out here.

01:54All right. Storm chaser Mike Scanlon.

01:56David, you know this area really, really well. What's going through your head?

01:59Well, just looking at these areas, the winds, as he said, is really starting to pick up.

02:02Now, right now he's in a rural area of what's Pawnee County,

02:05which is just to the northeast of Stillwater for anyone familiar with the area.

02:09So, it's in rural areas right now.

02:12So, it's not really going to be threatening any population centers,

02:15but we'll be watching that going forward.