A helicopter ferries water to assist fire departments fighting a wildfire southwest of Stillwater Monday, March 6, 2017. 

WOODWARD, Okla. — Firefighters across Northwest Oklahoma mopped up remaining fires Tuesday morning after spending most of Monday fighting with wind and flames, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate. 

Roadways were closed throughout Northwest Oklahoma as smoke was too dense and fires burned too close. However, officials reported all roadways were reopened and most evacuation orders were lifted. 

Emergency officials were recommending residents stay out of the area of fires for safety reasons while firefighters continued to work. Smoke and flames were causing hazards in the affected areas.

Up to 200 residents were evacuated late Monday in Woodward County, Oklahoma and structural damage was confirmed, according to Woodward County Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer. Beaver County, Oklahoma officials told residents of Gate, a town of about 90 people, to leave their homes. Evacuations were also ordered near Laverne and Buffalo in Harper County, Oklahoma, according to a story by The Associated Press.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management told AP a fire burned more than 15½ square miles in Beaver County and another 62½ square miles in neighboring Kansas.

A fire that started north of Laverne Monday inched its way northeast across U.S. 283, being pushed by winds gusting up to 50 mph. It caused the Beaver River bridge to be closed, stopping families from picking up children from school unless they went around on county roads.

Lines of fire burned all around the Laverne area, and some structure fires were reported in and around Laverne, according to authorities. Officials said Tuesday morning they hoped to have some damage estimates available later in the day.

Other fires burned north of Woodward, north of Gate, north of Beaver and south of Selman, as well as in northeast Woods County, Logan County, in southeast Oklahoma City and in Cleveland County.

Multiple fire departments responded Monday to a large grass fire southwest of Stillwater, Oklahoma that moved into Payne County from Logan County, officials said. Crews fought the flames for more than four hours before the blaze was contained. A helicopter helped carry water to those firefighters, who were concerned because of a large number of scattered homes and oil facilities, none of which were destroyed by the flames, officials said.  

During the Monday evening hours, winds began shifting to the west and north, slowing the pace of the fires, which helped firefighters gain the upper hand, officials said. Still, many crews spent the night actively putting out fires, attacking hot spots among the ashes or just keeping vigil to make sure no new fires started up.

CNHI Oklahoma