A large wildfire was reported off State Highway 115 near Meers in northern Comanche County, drawing multiple fire agencies to the area as officials temporarily closed Lake Lawtonka so firefighting aircraft could safely collect water. The blaze remains under investigation, and no cause has been released.
According to News 9, local, federal and tribal responders are assisting on the fire. Lawton firefighters are not directly responding to the blaze itself, but the Lawton Fire Department reported that Lake Lawtonka was temporarily closed to support the firefighting aircraft working the scene. Authorities asked residents to stay off the lake while the aircraft are operating and said they will provide an update once it reopens.
Lake Lawtonka is an approximately 1,280-acre reservoir on Medicine Creek that supplies drinking water to Lawton and Fort Sill, according to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Aircraft have collected water from the lake to drop on nearby fires.
A Fire Zone Already on Edge
The blaze ignited during an active countywide burn ban. Comanche County commissioners extended the restriction through September 10 on September 3, citing extreme fire danger and vegetation so dry it could ignite rapidly. The county had first enacted the ban in mid-August amid prolonged drought, and by mid-August at least nine counties across southwest Oklahoma, including Caddo and Cotton, had adopted similar bans as the region's drought conditions deepened, according to KLAW 101.
Highway 115 runs near Meers and the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Crews worked the fire near the roadway.
A Pattern of Late-Summer Blazes
This is not the first fast-moving wildfire to hit Comanche County this season. Just over a week earlier, on August 30, a wildfire near Indiahoma in southwestern Comanche County triggered immediate evacuation orders, a blaze that required demobilization and continued monitoring by local fire departments.
The region has also seen wildfire activity this year.
The area around Meers has also seen catastrophic wildfire before. In late October 2024, the more-than-12,000-acre Rush Fire tore across the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and neighboring private land, prompting evacuations in nearby communities. The fire involved multi-agency efforts to bring it under control.
Why So Many Agencies Are Involved
The mix of local, tribal and federal responders reflects the complicated map around Meers, where local ranches and refuge communities are located. During the 2024 Rush Fire, local, state and federal responders cooperated, according to The Black Wall Street Times.
Meers is a community near the Wichita Mountains. Firefighting in the region has included backburning and aircraft water drops, per the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
As of Tuesday, the eastern portion of the fire was under control, although crews continued working near Saddle Mountain. Lake Lawtonka had reopened to the public.
