Rain Helps Douse Wildfires

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma firefighters caught a break today as a storm system doused smoldering grass fires and lessened conditions that could lead to any new ones.

Officials say showers and thunderstorms helped exhausted firefighters extinguish blazes that flared in Oklahoma, Carter and Stephens counties yesterday.

Midwest City Fire Marshal Jerry Lojka (LOY'-kah) says the area has received more than an inch of rain and smoldering blazes had been extinguished and no new fires have been reported.

In Stephens County, where fires flared near Loco, Marlow, Duncan and Velma, officials said all was quiet.

The storm system responsible for the rain began moving across the state last night and early this morning.

Rainfall totals ranged from .09 inches in Beckham County in western Oklahoma to 2.38 inches in McCurtain County in southeast Oklahoma.

The precipitation came days after wind-whipped fires destroyed about 170 homes statewide and injured 62 people, two seriously.

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