Wildfire Blazes Through Central Oklahoma

Crews are battling a wildfire broke out in central Oklahoma, the blaze has so far consumed 3,000 acres, destroyed at least six homes and killed at least one person.

The wildfire broke out Sunday near the town of Guthrie when a controlled burn that began at about 4 p.m. in the Pine and Forest area got out of hand, Guthrie Fire Department Chief Eric Harlow said. The blaze is 75 percent contained on the south, west and east but still threatens at least 150 homes to the north of the burn area, KFOR reported.

Firefighters battled the conflagration, fueled by a mix of arid conditions, heat and high wind, throughout the night, and Harlow hoped to call in air support Monday and bulldozers to battle the blaze, News OK.com reported.

"With the wind conditions expected to pick up throughout the morning and afternoon, we still have some concerns," Harlow told reporters Sunday night.

At least 1,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the burn area, just north of Oklahoma City. But one 56-year-old man died in southern Logan County after he refused to evacuate his mobile home, the Edmond fire department said on Twitter.

One nearby resident, Tabitha Diamond, told KOCO-TV she was returning home from a music festival in Noble when she saw the billowing flames near her house. She sped home to find her home had been spared.

"It didn't get close enough, but it got too close," she said.

The American Red Cross set up a shelter for those affected by the fire at a church in Guthrie.

The past six months in central Oklahoma - including the site of the wildfire - have been the second driest on record, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. Just over 5 inches of precipitation has been recorded, which is almost 10 inches below average.