Wildfire Season Not Expected To Be As Bad This Year

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State fire officials don't expect the upcoming wildfire season to be as bad as last year but say firefighters are preparing for the worst.<br/><br/>Last year wildfires had already

Friday, October 27th 2006, 8:46 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- State fire officials don't expect the upcoming wildfire season to be as bad as last year but say firefighters are preparing for the worst.

Last year wildfires had already burned more than 50,000 acres in Oklahoma by November 15th and a statewide burn ban was issued. In the end more than 600,000 acres burned, more than 300 homes were destroyed and four people died in the fires.

So far this season a few grass fires have occurred -- but much of the state got at least two inches of rain last week to significantly reduce the potential for wildfires.

And state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry spokesman Jack Carson says long-term forecasts are calling for above average rainfall this winter.