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The National Weather Service says conditions on Christmas Day will be favorable for fires. Forecasters issued a fire alert for Thursday in eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas.

     Strong southerly winds - with gusts in the 30 to 40 mph range - along with mild temperatures and dry conditions could let fires spread quickly, if any are started.

     A fire alert is posed when conditions are dangerous but not quite as high as a red flag warning.

     The fire alert covers Benton and Washington counties in Arkansas, plus an area in Oklahoma from Hugo north to Bartlesville. Conditions will be warm and windy elsewhere in Oklahoma.