Wildfires persist in Texas, Oklahoma

MIDWEST CITY, Okla., April 11 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Texas and Oklahoma kept up their battle against wildfires Saturday despite cooler temperatures and calmer winds, officials said.

In Oklahoma, some residents in the town of Tatums in Carter County near the Texas line, and Choctaw near Oklahoma City, were ordered to evacuate, News on 6 in Tulsa reported. Fires that had been under control flared up, officials said.

The fires have killed at least six people -- three in Oklahoma and three in Texas -- burned scores of buildings and charred thousands of acres of grassland and scrub.

While blazes were reported in East Texas and other parts of the state, the worst hit area was Montague County north of Fort Worth and near the state line. About 200 firefighters remained in the county Saturday, The Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram reported.

"We're still trying to get lines around some of these fires," said Bill Beebe, a spokesman for the Texas Forest Service. "We hope to have quite a few of them contained in the next day or so."

Winds in parts of North Texas were measured at 76 mph Thursday.

Thirty-one Oklahoma counties were placed under a state of emergency by Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, marking the first step in seeking federal assistance by allowing state agencies to make emergency purchases.