Firefighters hope to contain Oklahoma blaze as winds subside

WOODWARD, Okla. – Firefighters continue to battle a large wildfire that has burned nearly 90 square miles of mostly rangeland in northwestern Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Hannah Anderson says conditions are more favorable Thursday for firefighters to contain the blaze, which began Tuesday when gusting winds caused power lines to arc into dry grass.

Anderson says windy, dry weather Wednesday made it difficult for firefighters to establish containment lines for the blaze, located about 170 miles northwest of Oklahoma City. The winds also made it too dangerous for teams to assess how many structures have been lost in the blaze, and those assessments will continue Thursday.

Anderson says that aerial assessments showed that the fire was 20 percent contained as of Thursday morning.