Winds are expected to slow down today, but weather conditions are still not ideal for emergency crews battling deadly wildfires in largely rural areas of four states, which have choked the air with smoke and burned hundreds of square miles of land.
Nearly 6 million people live in areas at risk of critical wildfire conditions, including Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and Kansas City. Forecasters said conditions were also ripe for fires in Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
Kansas wildfires have burned about 1,025 square miles of land and killed a tractor-trailer driver who succumbed to smoke after getting out of his jackknifed rig. Kansas authorities said Tuesday that the fires have damaged or destroyed about 70 structures.
State emergency officials in Oklahoma also reported that eight people have been treated at hospitals for breathing complications caused by the smoky air.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback have declared disaster emergencies.
