BY TATYANA NYBORG CONTRIBUTING WRITERMarch 6 Mannford fire blocked highway 51, brought heavy smoke and damage The fire on March 6, 2016, started at noon. “The cause is undetermined for sure, but believed to have started
March 6 Mannford fire blocked highway 51, brought heavy smoke and damage The fire on March 6, 2016, started at noon. “The cause is undetermined for sure, but believed to have started from power lines slapping together in the high wind,” said Mannford Fire Chief, Bob Evans. “We were on this fire for right at eight hours.” “We had 16 firemen from our department,” he continued. “Not sure how many men from the other departments. There was a total of nine different departments on this fire, such as Drumright, Olive, Keystone, Yale, Oilton, Silver City, Basin, Freedom Hill, and Mannford.” “Some of these departments had to pull off and return to their areas because of other fires,” Evans added. The fire was so intense that Highway 51 in front of Phelps Market had to be closed. Mannford residents were not able to go grocery shopping at that time. Highly concentrated smoke spread for miles around Mannford. A storage building behind a church received some minor outside damage. “We had some railroad ties that were lost that belong to the city,” Evans said. “We lost one power pole in the city and that is what caused the power outage. There was no other damage that I am aware of.” This year was an active one for fires. There are some opinions that global warming contributes to higher wildfire risk. The website of the National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org states that the frequency of large wildfires and the total area burned have been steadily increasing in the Western United States, with global warming being a major factor; “Longer fire seasons will result as spring runoff occurs earlier, summer heat builds up more quickly, and warm conditions extend further into fall. Western forests typically become combustible within a month of when snowmelt finishes. Snowpack is now melting 1 to 4 weeks earlier than it did 50 years ago. Drier conditions will increase the probability of fire occurrence. Summertime temperatures in western North America are projected to be 3.6 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit higher by mid-century, enhancing evaporation rates, while precipitation is expected to decrease by up to 15 percent. The Southwest will be hit particularly hard, perhaps shifting to a more arid climate. More fuel for forest fires will become available because warmer and drier conditions are conducive to wide spread beetle and other insect infestations, resulting in broad ranges of dead and highly combustible trees. Higher temperatures enhance winter survival of mountain pine beetles and allow for a more rapid lifecycle. At the same time, moderate drought conditions for a year or longer can weaken trees, allowing bark beetles to overcome the trees’ defense mechanisms more easily. Increased frequency of lightning is expected as thunderstorms become more severe. In the western United States, a 1.8 degree Fahrenheit increase in temperature is expected to lead to a 6 percent increase in lightning. This means that lightning in the region could increase by 12 to 30 percent by mid-century. The bottom line is that the overall area burned is projected to double by late this century across 11 western states if the average summertime temperature increases 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit, with Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah being hit particularly hard.”
Recent fire behind senior apartments in Mannford.
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