How Are Wildlife Being Affected By The Rush Fire in Oklahoma?

Ever since the Rush Fire started in Oklahoma's Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge, folks all across the internet have been asking how the animals have been managing. Recently, the managers and staff at the Refuge released an update to ease everyone's minds.

How Are The Animals Dealing With The Rush Fire?

The Rush Fire started on October 24, 2024 on private land and is continuing to burn in the Wildlife Refuge. Since then, authorities and firefighters have been trying to contain the fire. While the fire continues, the Refuge Facebook released a statement about the conditions of the wildlife on the Wichitas.

According to the update, there have been no animal casualties due to the Rush Fire. "In fire, we've found that wildlife are more intuitive and adaptive than we give them credit for," they said. The update continues with the fact that the animals were able to successfully run, burrow or fly away from the fire and stay outside of the perimeter being burned.

Long Term Effects The Rush Fire Has On The Animals

Although the Rush Fire perimeter (as of this writing) is approximately 12,488 acres, the wildlife has plenty of other space to occupy since the entire Wildlife Refuge contains over 59,000 acres of land.

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In the update, the staff recognized that there may be some hardships that wildlife will have to face because of the fire, like less grazing areas and cut off of some water sources. But, they still have enough to manage until the fire is put out.

Reminders For The Public About The Refuge

As of now, the entire Refuge is closed to the public, including land that is not involved in the Rush Fire. Firefighters are working tirelessly to keep the fire contained and cannot afford to have people, property or activities in the way if the fire does get worse at any point.

Recently, they've released statements reminding folks that they cannot camp on the refuge until the all clear is given. Visitors should also not use drones to try to capture footage or for any other reason since it will prohibit the airplanes from dropping water.

Most Recent Rush Fire Update And Ways To Help

As of the most recent Rush Fire update, they have reached 48% containment and currently have 161 people assigned to the fire. The Refuge continues to remain closed, as wind conditions have not been favorable for getting the fire out.

@jarred2115 Air support doing work in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge helping to control the Rush Fire. #lawtonoklahoma #wichitamountains #wichitamountainwildliferefuge #fire #plane #water #firefighter ♬ SPEED IS LIFE - lykia

If you are interested in helping your local firefighters, there are a few ways to do so here. To find out more updates about the Wildlife Refuge animals and conditions, follow along with them on their social media.