Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Oklahoma officials try to ID fatal wildfire victim

Cooler weather descended on Oklahoma, where firefighters are battling several blazes that have destroyed a dozen homes. A "monster" fire rages in the northeast corner of the state. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez reports.

Nate Billings / AP file

From left, Gayland Cannon, Eugene Hacker and Ron Ross wait at a gas station after evacuating their homes near Norman, Okla. on Aug. 3, 2012.

By NBC News and wire services

Oklahoma firefighters on Monday battled flare-ups and hot spots across the state as medical officials tried to identify a body burned beyond recognition in a rural Norman home.

The Oklahoma medical examiner's office requested dental records to identify the body found Saturday, said spokesperson?Amy Elliott.


The area south of Oklahoma City had been evacuated after a wildfire erupted Friday, and some residents weren't allowed to return until Sunday.

Jim Beckel / AP file

Victoria Landavazo holds her 1-year-old child, Axel, after arriving with other members of her family on Saturday to see for the first time what a wildfire had done to their home in Luther, Okla.

About 7,900 acres burned and about 100 structures were lost in the Cleveland County fire including the Noble, Norman and Slaughterville areas, NBC station KFOR of Oklahoma City reported.

One fire chief reported the wildfires were so violent in the area that structures were ?pretty much incinerated,? KFOR reported.

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Crews had battled 18 wildfires that?hopscotched across Oklahoma since Friday, torching?at least 121 structures and charring 68,000?acres amid a drought.

Fires left?only ashes in some spots, while property just feet away looked remarkably untouched. In some cases, the flames shifted with the wind, while in others, streams or ponds forced a detour.

Tom Gilbert / AP file

Smoke covers Highway 48 on Saturday, east of Drumright, Okla.

Keli Cain, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said all the fires were either under control or in "mop-up" stages early Monday afternoon.

One, which threatened the small town of Luther over the weekend, is being investigated as a possible arson. Witnesses told Oklahoma County sheriff's deputies they saw a man throwing a lighted newspaper from a black Ford pickup, but no arrests have been made.

This Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/06/13147327-oklahoma-officials-try-to-id-fatal-wildfire-victim-battle-flare-ups?lite

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