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300,000 Acres Burn as Wildfires Sweep Panhandles
21 Feb
Summary
- Over 300,000 acres have burned across Oklahoma and Texas.
- Warm, dry, and windy conditions fueled the widespread fires.
- Several structures were damaged or destroyed in Oklahoma.
More than 300,000 acres have been scorched by wildfires across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles. As of Friday, February 20th, 2026, over a million people in the affected region were under a fire watch.
Several structures in Oklahoma's Panhandle have been damaged or destroyed. The Ranger Road Fire alone has burned 283,000 acres and was 20% contained by Friday morning. This massive blaze has also spread into parts of southwestern Kansas.
Other significant fires, including the Stevens Fire and Side Road Fire in Oklahoma's Texas County, showed containment rates of 60% and 75% respectively. The Poor Farm Fire in Latimer County was only 10% contained after burning approximately 9,000 acres.
Warm, dry, and windy conditions were identified as the primary triggers for these rapid fire developments. In response, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt declared states of emergency for Woodward, Beaver, and Texas counties earlier in the week. Many residents have evacuated these areas.
While cooling temperatures and reduced wind speeds are anticipated to mitigate the spread, strong winds ranging from 25 mph to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph persisted on Friday morning, maintaining a significant fire danger across Texas and Cimarron counties.
