A wildfire has consumed over 2,000 acres in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, burning buildings and forcing evacuations. NBCNews.com's Al Stirrett reports.
By NBC News staff and wire services
At least 121 structures, many of them homes, have been destroyed by wildfires in Oklahoma, officials said Saturday as temperatures topped 100 degrees for a 19th straight day.
A 2,600-acre fire near Luther consumed 56 structures and hot spots there and at two other large fires kept crews busy and some residents out of their homes.
Gov. Mary Fallin toured the Luther area on Saturday, calling the devastation "heartbreaking."
Authorities suspect that fire might have been intentionally set and are looking for a person in a black pickup truck who was seen throwing newspapers out a window after setting them ablaze.
Those returning to their homes found charred timbers poking from the debris and the burned out shells of refrigerators, washers and dryers.
"It makes me feel sad," said Victoria Landavazo, clutching a young child in her arms. "It's all gone. All of our family pictures, everything was there."
Tracy Streeper was working in Oklahoma City, about 40 miles southwest, when she learned the fire was approaching. Caught in traffic, it took her a long time to reach home and then, "once we got here, we had maybe 30 minutes."
She grabbed a few clothes, medicine and her three dogs and left quickly.
"Your adrenaline is running. You're pumped up," Streeper said. "You could just see a wall of flames coming this way. Everything was on fire."
Fires near Mansford and Noble claimed another 65 structures.
Two new fires broke out on Saturday, and Oklahoma now is fighting 13 across the state, Forestry Department spokeswoman Michelle Walker.
A state-wide burn ban was issued by Fallin on Friday.
Oklahoma has contacted neighboring states for help but, with the exception of Texas, neighbors have had to focus on their own fire threats, Fallin said on Friday.
"There's fires in Arkansas. There's fires in Kansas and Texas. Everybody else is on high heat alert," she said.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, saying there would be "critical fire weather conditions over much of northeast Oklahoma" Saturday.
"Any fires will quickly spread out of control and endanger lives and property," the warning said.
Sarah Phipps / AP
A home burns during a large wildfire Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 in Luther, Okla.
Oklahoma joins several states that have been plagued by wildfires this summer, including Colorado, Arkansas and Nebraska. Fires are being fed by a widespread drought.
Nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States was under some level of drought as of July 31.
No deaths were reported in the Oklahoma fires, but Interstate 44, the historic Route 66 and state highways were closed on Friday.
Low humidity, strong southerly winds and drought conditions enabled the wildfires to spread quickly across treetops, said Michelann Ooten, deputy director of the state's Office of Emergency Management.
"It's just a very difficult situation we're facing that's all weather related," Ooten said.
The heat in Oklahoma City, the state capital, has reached historic levels.
On Friday, Oklahoma City tied its all-time record for the highest temperature ever recorded when the thermometer reached 113 Fahrenheit, a mark last recorded in the Dust Bowl days in 1936.
It's so hot that volunteer fire departments have made a public plea for Gatorade donations to keep their crews hydrated in the scalding conditions.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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