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A still image from a video of a wildfire moving through Woodward County, Oklahoma, with heavy smoke during severe weather.
CNN
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Strong winds across the central United States this weekend are raising the risk of severe fires, closing roads in some areas and leaving thousands of people without power.
The combination of low relative humidity and strong winds creates an extreme fire weather threat. Fire weather danger levels are highest across the southern Plains and western half of the Central Plains. More than 10 million people were under red flag warnings across much of the Plains, almost from border to border.
Widespread fire danger will remain in parts of the Central Plains and Southern Plains through Sunday due to gusty winds, dry air, and the ongoing drought. The National Weather Service warned that even if a fire breaks out, it will be difficult to extinguish it due to strong winds.
The Oklahoma State Forest Service reported Sunday that an estimated 5,000 acres have been burned.
Oklahoma firefighters battled multiple wildfires across six counties on Saturday in winds up to 60 mph. According to CNN affiliate KOCO news agency, aircraft were brought in to extinguish the fire on Saturday night.
Woodward County Emergency Manager Matt Rechenbauer told KOCO that one wildfire resulted in a temporary evacuation order and two firefighters suffered burns while fighting the fire. He was taken to the hospital.
“These winds, combined with very dry conditions, create favorable conditions for wildfires, particularly in the western portion of the Southern Plains,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
High wind warnings are in effect from Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains to central Nebraska and Kansas until Sunday evening, with wind gusts of up to 95 mph expected, the National Weather Service in Denver said.
As of Sunday afternoon, about 285,000 customers in Colorado were without power, according to poweroutage.us.
xcel energy colorado said before Power will be cut off to a limited number of customers in some areas due to “extremely strong winds and a high risk of wind-induced wildfires.”
Excel announced on Sunday that it was actively cutting off power to 55,000 customers on Saturday, and another 100,000 customers lost power due to high winds. The company told CNN that crews are assessing the damage, but some households may have to wait until at least Monday for power to be restored.
“More than 600 miles of power lines have been proactively shut down, and our crews will visually inspect the lines to ensure they are safe before power is restored,” spokesperson Tyler Bryant said in a statement. There is a need to do so.”
gust of wind over 95 mph It was reported in parts of the state on Saturday. The National Weather Service said winds had eased Sunday but were still gusting up to 130 mph in parts of the foothills.
The Colorado Department of Transportation closed some roads due to high winds.
The National Weather Service predicts stronger winds of 30 to 45 mph through Sunday from eastern New Mexico to eastern Nebraska, where high wind warnings are in effect. Stronger hurricane-force wind gusts are expected to reach 160 mph in hilly areas near Denver.
The heaviest wind gusts were expected to occur Sunday morning. weather service Said.
High wind warnings are in effect for parts of Kansas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Texas until Sunday.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned that strong winds could cause damage to property and trees, power outages and travel difficulties, and advised people to stay indoors.
“Please stay on the lower floors of your home and avoid windows during storms,” the Bureau of Meteorology advised. “Be aware of falling debris and tree branches. Use caution if you must drive.”
Fire threats prompted emergency responses in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma, according to state emergency management operations announcements.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday that she had verbally declared a state of disaster and authorized the use of state resources to provide assistance, according to a release from the Kansas Office of Emergency Management.
“I urge all Kansas residents to refrain from burning during this time of extreme fire danger,” Kelly said. “By being vigilant, taking extra precautions and notifying your local fire department if a fire breaks out, you can minimize the risk of a fire getting out of control.”
The state's emergency response resources were activated in Texas on Friday, according to a release from the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM).
The state emergency operations center was activated near Oklahoma, officials said. Oklahoma has also requested fire management assistance from FEMA to help respond to wildfires, Governor Kevin Stitt announced.
CNN's Chris Boyette, Sara Tonks, Paradise Afshar, Danielle Sills and Raja Razek contributed to this report.