Hundreds evacuated after wildfire in Oklahoma in US

TIL Desk/World/Houston-A wild fire in the US state of Oklahoma has burned nearly 600 acres, prompting authorities to evacuate hundreds of people in the nearby areas and parts of the adjoining state of Texas.

No injuries were immediately reported in the wildfire which began on Sunday. Red flag warnings have been issued for western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle and parts of West Texas.

Firefighters from nearby areas in Oklahoma, Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties jumped into the fray as the day wore on and the fire continued to spread. Oklahoma City Emergency Management has requested a fire warning on the southeast side after a grass fire triggered evacuations and burned nearly 600 acres.

State forestry officials in Oklahoma have asked residents to avoid doing anything that could cause a fire. The state is under a national fire advisory through February 14 because of the high risk for wildfires.

According to the Storm Prediction Centre in Norman, Oklahoma, the area at critical risk for fires covers more than 157,000 square miles and includes the cities of Oklahoma City and Norman in Oklahoma and Amarillo, Lubbock and Midland in Texas.