I get why the fires spread so far and so rapidly on windy days but what starts them in the first place?

[elwoodtrix]

I had a lady tell me about the fires as she was smoking. There was fire in Bethany due to downed power line.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

You’d be really having to rip some serious ass to create enough friction to spark one of those. I’ve heard of people spontaneously combusting. Maybe that explains it.

That's gotta be it!

Woody

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

You’d be really having to rip some serious ass(SIC) to create enough friction to spark one of those. I’ve heard of people spontaneously combusting. Maybe that explains it.

OH, and there is the diesel factor. With enough pressure ...

Woody

 

[CSeverns]

OH, and there is the diesel factor. With enough pressure ...

Woody

Imagine appearing in court on arson charges and your attorney’s only defense is “he was just a little gassy that day.”

 

[Dale00]

What most people miss is the critical threat posed by the spread of eastern redcedar across large parts of the Oklahoma landscape. Areas that are hundreds or thousands of acres in size ready to go up like a torch. Putting on my optimist hat, perhaps some parts of the state have been saved from even greater future destruction by yesterdays fires knocking back the growth of this tree.

 

[bfry]

What most people miss is the critical threat posed by the spread of eastern redcedar across large parts of the Oklahoma landscape. Areas that are hundreds or thousands of acres in size ready to go up like a torch. Putting on my optimist hat, perhaps some parts of the state have been saved from even greater future destruction by yesterdays fires knocking back the growth of this tree.

There's a bill in the OK House to fund a project to mulch up a bunch of that red cedar to keep it from fueling wildfires.

 

[trekrok]

I wonder how many are started by catalytic converter in pastures? Side note, do fire trucks have something that prevents that?

 

[GnometownHero]

Wind whipped powerlines or bad wiring/overloaded circuit, hot motor or hot brakes, broken glass, human stupidity, spontanious combustion were the incidents that caused every fire I ever had to deal with in my life

 

[GnometownHero]

I wish I owned 4 good sized uniloaders with tree eating capability to lease out to ranchers

 

[Birdistheword]

What most people miss is the critical threat posed by the spread of eastern redcedar across large parts of the Oklahoma landscape. Areas that are hundreds or thousands of acres in size ready to go up like a torch. Putting on my optimist hat, perhaps some parts of the state have been saved from even greater future destruction by yesterdays fires knocking back the growth of this tree.

THAT! Plus railroads not running consistent cedar management plus controlled burns on their right of ways. I hate that tree, from wildlife management to wildfires to water consumption and shading out useful pasture grass it is an economic bane.