Western Oklahoma could be facing another dangerous wildfire season as early as January, with forecasters warning conditions may be worse and more widespread than last year.
Predictors with the National Interagency Fire Center say Western Oklahoma will see an elevated wildfire threat to start 2026, with that risk expanding statewide by March. February is expected to bring a much larger footprint of above normal fire potential across the western half of the state.
Elk City Fire Chief Kyle Chervenka says current conditions already show how quickly fires can get out of hand in the regionโs deep grass.
โYeah, the fuels are dry, you know, we donโt, I donโt see any measurable rainfall in the forecast coming up and in this deep grass, itโs just dry,โ Chervenka said. โOnce it starts going, it just pulls its own inflow and really gets to pushing, and itโs really challenging to get it knocked down right now. It takes several trucks in the line to get that fire knocked out.โ
The warning follows a devastating wildfire season in March 2025, which ranked among the worst in Oklahoma history.ย
