Explosive Wildfires Surge Through Oklahoma Panhandle and Kansas

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(Bloomberg) — A fast-moving wildfire on Oklahoma’s panhandle has doubled in size as it presses into Kansas, as firefighters contend with days of dry heat and gusting winds across the Great Plains.

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The Ranger Road Fire had consumed more than 280,000 acres as of Wednesday evening, nearly 20 times the size of the island of Manhattan. In all, more than 300,000 acres have burned in Oklahoma this week as temperatures soar roughly 15F (8C) above average.

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State officials have received 33 reports of fires and hotspots spanning nearly two dozen counties. Oklahoma’s Department of Agriculture, Food & Forestry warned that Thursday will bring new challenges for fire crews, as winds change direction and potentially cause new flare-ups.

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“Established wildfires today will have potential to exhibit very rapid rates of spread and problematic fire behavior,” the department said in an update, adding that fires could easily spread from the ground to groups of trees. That raises the likelihood of releasing embers, which can be carried away in the wind and spark new blazes.

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Emergency shelters in Oklahoma were closed Thursday, but officials warned they could reopen if new evacuations become necessary. 

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A dense web of pipelines converge in Oklahoma, a center of US oil infrastructure. Roughly 25 million barrels of crude are stored in Cushing, in north-central Oklahoma — the nation’s largest onshore storage hub and the delivery point for benchmark US crude futures.

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The wildfires had no discernible impact on oil and gas production across the state according to initial reports from companies, regulators and trade groups. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates oil and gas drilling in the state, said on Thursday that it hasn’t received any reports of impacts to energy assets. The Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma say they have had no calls from members on fire-related issues.

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Major energy companies like Kinder Morgan, Enbridge, Energy Transfer and TC Energy that store and transport oil and gas across the state said Wednesday that they were operating as normal, only reporting minor issues related to power outages and above-ground damage that had no major effect on operations.

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Oklahoma is also home to refineries operated by Valero Energy Corp., Phillips 66, HF Sinclair and CVR Energy. None of the fuel-making plants, which collectively refine 550,000 barrels of oil daily, are located in the Oklahoma panhandle where the wildfires have been largely concentrated.

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Red flag fire weather warnings stretch from Colorado and New Mexico to eastern Missouri, covering almost all of Oklahoma. Humidity is expected to plunge to single digits in some places as winds gust up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour near active fires.

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Three fires burning in the Texas panhandle have consumed more than 21,000 acres, and Kansas has also battled multiple blazes this week as dry weather and heavy winds scour the region. Emergency officials have warned the public against any outdoor burning until conditions improve.

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“The slightest ember could become tomorrow’s inferno,” the Kansas Division of Emergency Management said in a Facebook post Wednesday. 

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—With assistance from Nathan Risser, Charles Gorrivan and Brian K. Sullivan.

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