An outbreak of wildfires fueled by dry conditions and hurricane-force winds was rapidly spreading across the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma on Friday, prompting evacuations, wreaking havoc on the roads and leaving thousands without power.

Preliminary reports showed that the fires had destroyed some homes in Oklahoma and that at least three people had died in crashes in Texas, according to officials there.

Emergency crews in both states were scrambling to keep up with all the blazes popping up across the map.

“It’s somewhat alarming how many fires there are and how quickly they are developing,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “It’s too many to count. Another hour goes by and another half-dozen fires develop.”

As of late Friday afternoon, the greatest concentration of wildfires was in east-central Oklahoma, Mr. Otto said, including near Oklahoma City. “Unfortunately, these fires are spreading into areas where there are decent population centers,” he said.

The city of Stillwater, around 45 miles north of Oklahoma City, issued a mandatory evacuation order Friday night for a zone that covered several square miles. There were active blazes in that area, including structural fires, the Stillwater Emergency Management Agency said on Facebook. It did not elaborate on what kind of structures.

Elevated

Critical

Extremely Critical

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