The Nation - News from Nov. 16, 1988

A wind-whipped fire swept through Altus, Okla., destroying more than 20 houses and businesses, injuring 20 people and forcing hundreds from their homes. Smoke could be seen 30 miles away from the fire, which started in large bundles of cotton that had been stored in an open field to await processing at a cotton gin. Schools were closed early, and about 400 of the town’s 23,000 residents were evacuated. The cause of the blaze was not known.