Wildfires cause significant damage in Oklahoma

HOUSTON - The raging wildfires across the US state of Oklahoma have caused significant damage as a result of hot temperatures and drought conditions.

Remains of a home burnt to the ground by fire in Luther, Oklahoma August 4, 2012. Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin on Saturday described the small town left smoldering from wildfires as "total devastation" while fire crews around the state continued working in torrid heat to contain the damage. [Photo/Agencies]

According to the reports on the website of the state's largest daily newspaper The Oklahoman on Saturday, more than a dozen of wildfires are raging through the state, which has been experiencing a triple-digit heat over the past weeks.

At least five major fires that burned Friday night were joined Saturday with several new ones, and a total of 52,000 acres burned statewide as a result of Friday's wildfires, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management was quoted as saying.

Forty homes have been destroyed, and several communities have been evacuated since Friday, the spokesman said, adding that several highways and roads in the state remained closed Saturday night.

Currently, with the support of six helicopters from the Oklahoma National Guard and resources from the Oklahoma Forestry Services, hundreds of firefighters are struggling to put the blazes under control.

Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin has declared a 30-day state of emergency and a statewide burn ban in all 77 counties of the state as part of efforts to deal with the heat and drought.