Authorities Suspect Arson as Okla. Wildfires Force Evacuation - East Idaho News
National

Authorities Suspect Arson as Okla. Wildfires Force Evacuation

  Published at

Getty 062212 Wildfire?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1344111479501iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LUTHER, Okla.) — A dozen raging wildfires fueled by extreme heat and strong winds have forced hundreds of residents in central Oklahoma to evacuate, and investigators now suspect arson as the cause.  
 
The fires have scorched dozens of cars, homes and other structures as firefighters worked throughout Friday night into Saturday morning to bring the situation under control.  

Officials in Luther, about 20 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, are investigating reports that newspapers set on fire were thrown from a pickup truck. Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel said 25 homes and a day care center there have been destroyed, Oklahoma newspaper The Oklahoman reports.

The trucks was described as a 2008 black Ford F-150 with red lettering on its side, according to The Oklahoman.

Though several firefighters have been treated for heat exhaustion as temperatures continue to climb above 100 degrees, no fatalities or serious injuries have been reported.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION