Jordy Mercer, Pirates teammates help those fighting wildfires in Oklahoma

Pirates shortstop Jordy Mercer's job has taken him more than 1,000 miles from his hometown of Taloga, Okla., but in this current time of crisis, his heart is right next door.

Whipped by wind gusts of up to 50 mph and sparked by no significant rainfall in more than 150 days, wildfires have killed two people in western Oklahoma and covered nearly 250,000 acres of land. Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency for 52 of the state's 77 counties.

Mercer felt he had to do something.

"They've been working their tails off for four days straight, and they still can't get it (contained)," said Mercer, who played baseball at Taloga High School with fire chief Chuckie Hurt. "They evacuated Taloga, which is where I'm from.

"It's been a mess. It's been a mess."

So, Mercer set a little tin can in front of his locker in the Pirates clubhouse at PNC Park and asked his teammates if they could help.

"I just wanted to reach out and help," he said. "A lot of these guys jumped on board with me. It's been a good experience, really blessed."

Mercer said he hasn't counted the donations, "but it's been awesome. Everybody's chipped in."

To all the families, farmers and firefighters out in western OK during these wildfires. We are thinking about all of you! #staystrong

— Jordy Mercer (@jordy_mercer) April 13, 2018

Mercer doesn't know or care how the money will be used, but he said the fire department lost a truck in its efforts and some equipment needs to be replaced.

"I'm just trying to send them a little bit of my appreciation for what they've been doing," he said.

Mercer said 300 acres of his father's 2,000-acre cattle ranch were burned but not destroyed.

"Luckily, my dad got all the cattle (about 150) off before they (were caught in the wildfire)," he said.

"Barely," said Rick Mercer, who was in Pittsburgh on Wednesday for the start of the Pirates' annual dad's trip.

"I got there three or four minutes prior," he said. "The smoke was so bad I couldn't even see them. I got to honking (the horn), and I hoped I was there in time. All of sudden, here out of smoke here they came."

Rick Mercer said the money raised by the Pirates will go a long way.

"Whether it's a dollar or $1,000, it's going to be put to a great cause," he said. "They can do so many things, stuff that we wouldn't think about that they have to do that they don't do because they don't have the money."

"Our fire department, they can only do so much," Jordy said of a department normally manned by 16 volunteers. "They had to call in reinforcements. People from Oklahoma City came, Louisiana, Texas."

The volunteer ranks are growing, Jordy said, as residents of the little town of about 300 people band together to help fight the intense flames.

"Everyday people doing their own thing," he said. "When you hear your scanner go off, you automatically go to the fire department and now you're a firefighter."

Fire last week consumed the home, barn and half of the small herd of cattle of Larry Lynes, 66, and his wife, Arlinda, 64, who live near Taloga.

"We didn't have any time at all," Arlinda Lynes told Reuters. "So I went in there and got photo albums from when the children were little and some papers off the desk."

"This presents unprecedented conditions for this part of Oklahoma for sure," said Shawna Hartman, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Forestry Service.

She said there was a "100 percent chance" that a spark would ignite if it flew into dry grasslands, and any fire would spread rapidly because of the high winds.

"They can't get ahead of it," Rick Mercer said.

Ryan Barnes, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla., said rain is forecast from Friday night into Saturday morning.

"They're supposed to get a lot of rain, which is a prayer answered," Jordy Mercer said, hopefully. "I hope it rains and rains and rains."

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jdipaola@tribweb.com or via Twitter @JDiPaola_Trib.

Fires south of SeilingOklahoma have erupted again. Cedar trees are igniting like they have had gas poured on them. Anyone in this area be safe. I image highway 270 will shut down soon as fire looks to cross it!!! @OKCFOX @okcfoxweather pic.twitter.com/liDj6yY3KJ

— WesternOkChaser(@westernokchaser) April 17, 2018