Beckham County, OK – A severe lightning storm that swept through Beckham County on Sunday night left behind scattered grass fires and even disabled vehicles on Interstate 40, according to Sheriff Derek Manning.
“It was a pretty extreme lightning storm and it hit throughout the county,” Manning said. “As the storm came through we had, I think, four calls about grass fires and I know at least two or three of them mentioned lightning started them… I would imagine all four of them were probably started by lightning.”
The fires broke out across the central and northwestern parts of the county. Manning said rain falling during the storm likely kept the flames from spreading and helped firefighters quickly gain control. In one case, a deputy arrived to find rain had already extinguished the fire.
Manning noted that tall summer grass is becoming a concern. “It’s starting to get to that length where it’s a danger,” he said.
While the grass fires caused little damage, the sheriff said a rare and dangerous situation unfolded on I-40 just outside Elk City when a lightning strike hit both a pickup pulling a boat and a semi-truck traveling side by side.
“I’ve seen some close calls and maybe actual strikes, but I’ve never seen a lightning strike out on the interstate hitting vehicles traveling down the road that actually took the vehicles out of commission,” Manning said.
The strike blew out the pickup’s sunroof, bent part of its frame, broke the windshield, and knocked off its antenna. The driver reported that the steering wheel was “extremely hot” after the strike. The semi-truck’s electronics were also disabled.
Deputies and fire crews responded quickly, moving the occupants to safety while a wrecker hauled the disabled vehicles from the roadway.
The pickup’s driver told deputies he planned to replace his truck the following day after spending the night at a motel in Elk City.
Manning called the incident “pretty impressive” and said the lightning damage served as a reminder of the power of summer storms in western Oklahoma.
