Wildfires rage across 3 states

Just west of the Texas border in Hobbs, N.M., officials evacuated a nursing home, casino, community college, and several neighborhoods as firefighters battled spreading grass fires on the western edge of the town of 29,000.

In Oklahoma City, two neighborhoods were evacuated as flames snaked across the northeastern part of the city and several homes were in flames. One man suffered minor smoke inhalation after refusing to evacuate his home, Fire Major Brian Stanaland said. Firefighters later rescued the man in a field near his home.

''We will overcome this challenge," Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma said in a televised news conference last night as the fires continued to burn.

Drought-like conditions have pushed the fire danger to critical levels across Oklahoma and Texas.

Last week, wildfires in the two states ravaged more than 50,000 acres, destroying nearly 100 homes and businesses and killing four people. Oklahoma put out an emergency call for more fire crews from other states, and Henry asked for a federal disaster declaration.

At least a dozen wildfires were burning in Oklahoma yesterday, pushed by 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts. A large blaze near Guthrie threatened several homes, said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

''Today has been extremely intense," Stanaland said in Oklahoma City. ''I think it's maybe starting to take its toll on our department."

Power lines arced and sparked one grass fire in the city. While firefighters battled that blaze, high winds tossed material from a nearby construction site into power lines, causing the debris to burn before it landed on a nearby nursing home, Stanaland said.

''You basically had flying, flaming debris," Stanaland said. ''Luckily, we were already on the scene putting out the fires when it happened so we were able to put it out."

A fire near Wainwright in Muskogee County charred several thousand acres and was at least 1 mile wide, but no injuries or structure fires were reported, said Bill Beebe, an information officer at a statewide command center established in Shawnee.