Arcing electric lines in southerly winds gusting from 30 to 49 mph are believed to have started a wildfire three miles east of Freedom that burned 2,549 acres in northwest Oklahoma Sunday afternoon.

This is according to Woods County Emergency Director Ethan Feidler. He said the first call came in about 3:15 p.m. The fire burned the north and south sides of U.S. Highway 64 at the Red Horse Bridge west of Alva. Wicked orange flames raged as they fed on the fuel of the parched land shooting into the sky with billowing black smoke that could be seen for miles.

This is the first major wildfire (Feb. 18) in the area of 2018. Reportedly, Freedom has had no rain for 180 days.

Carmen Fire and Rescue posted this on their Facebook page: The Alfalfa County Task Force responded to Woods County near Freedom on the Red Horse Creek Fire with eight brush rigs and two tankers. Photo was taken South of U.S. Highway 64 on Red Horse Creek.

Volunteer firefighters responded from all over the area, including Oklahoma counties Woods, Alfalfa, Grant, Harper and Ellis; and several counties and towns from Kansas, including Barber, he said. Woods County Districts 1, 2 and 3 provided graders and dozers as well to aid in fire suppression.

The Oklahoma Forestry Service sent its task force, including an air attack platform, a type 1 airtanker and aerial supervision module and two type 1 helicopters, and an Oklahoma Highway Patrol/OFS aerial observation platform to the scene.

Feidler said firefighters started getting the flames under control around 8 p.m. By 9 or 10 p.m., he said they were able to let some of the volunteers go home.

Some firefighters stayed in the area to monitor hot spots Sunday night and Monday. Feidler said Monday there were no reports of injury to people or loss of animals, but warned some loss could still be discovered.

The weather forecast for this week is encouraging as it calls for rain, and moisture is desperately needed in these drought conditions. With increased fire threats, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin issued a burn ban that now includes 52 counties, encompassing all of western and central Oklahoma.