Barbara Kinman lives at 14236 N.E. 4th Street, a road where 12 homes were destroyed two years ago by wildfires. This time, she was headed out with her animals in tow.

“I have bad memories of what happened last time,” she said. “That (2009 fires) was the longest night of my life. I don’t want to see that happen again.”

Kinman’s home was saved in 2009 only because neighbors crossed fire lines and extinguished a blaze that had reached her home’s foundation. The structure received only smoke damage.

Fortunately, the March 11 fires were limited to one square mile from S.E. 29th Street to just north of S.E. 15th Street and from Hiwassee Road to Henney Road. In the end, seven homes were destroyed with a loss estimate that exceeded $1.1 million, Choctaw City Manager Robert Floyd said. The loss figure does not include garages, barns, storage sheds or equipment such as tractors and vehicles that were destroyed. At one point, police evacuated homes along Henney Road from Reno Avenue to S.E. 15th Street.

WIDESPREAD EFFORTS
The blaze started at the eastern edge of Midwest City on Timber Ridge Road. As a result, the Midwest City fire department maintained command of the scene until 7 a.m. March 12. Fire departments from as far as Edmond and Moore joined the firefighting efforts. About 110 firefighters from various metro departments battled the Choctaw fires.

“We were fighting fires and knocking down hot spots all throughout the night because the winds had shifted and were coming out of the north,” Midwest City Fire Chief Randy Olsen said.

The wildfires had the potential to duplicate the extensive property loss homeowners sustained in 2009, he said.

“It was no different than the previous one,” he said. “The winds were about identical. Our primary objective was to get in front of the fire and stop it. Had we not stopped it, it would have been a carbon copy of 2009.”

Farther east, hundreds of firefighters were busy trying to contain additional wildfires that started in Harrah, where 30 homes were destroyed.

Last Friday, Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties. Under that order, state agencies are allowed to make purchases needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local jurisdictions. The declaration also is a first step toward seeking federal assistance, should it be necessary. —Tim Farley