Strong southwest winds fueled wildfires across Oklahoma on Friday, with evacuations ordered in some areas

An ambulance from Newkirk, Oklahoma, south of the Kansas-Oklahoma line, was involved in a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 11 around 1:30 p.m.   Newkirk Fire Department officials said the ambulance was returning from the Blackwell hospital when the crash occurred during a dust storm.   Two medics and two other people were taken to a hospital with injuries.   Highway 11 in Kay County was closed because of limited visibility.

Around a thousand people were evacuated from a neighborhood in western Stillwater, Oklahoma as a fire spread toward the area.   More than 50 homes were lost in the Stillwater area.  Around a dozen people were treated for smoke inhalation, according to local media reports.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency, as more than 130 fires spread across 44 counties.  Many of the fires were still active Saturday morning.
As many as 80,000 electric customers in Oklahoma did not have power.

The governor said more than 170,000 acres burned across the state and close to 300 structures were destroyed.  Oklahoma Emergency Management officials said at least 200 homes were lost.

[ photo:  Newkirk Fire Department/EMS ]