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Utility forgiveness, fast-track building permits help Mannford families recover

By: Naomi Keitt , Emma Burch

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MANNFORD, Okla. — Mannford's city council unanimously voted yes for utility forgiveness and fast-tracking building permits.

Families directly hit by the fire will not have to pay their utility bill from last month and anything that has accumulated since the fire.

Utility forgiveness, fast-track building permits help Mannford families recover

They can also skip the Planning Commission's permit process and obtain a building permit in just days.

The council also said yes to adding requirements for facilities built in city limits with fire retardant materials.

Mayor Clay Abercrombie said it is time to work on preventing this incident again.

"You try and be proactive in utilizing what you've learned and make things better for the future," Abercrombie said.

As fire roared through town, Mannford Mayor Clay Abercrombie knew just what crews were up against.

“The fire moved rapidly, and there was little opportunity to actually stop the fire,” said Clay Abercrombie.

He fought the 2012 wildfires with the Mannford Fire Department. In 2025, he had on his mayor’s hat.

“It’s saddening,” said Abercrombie. “It really is. It’s heartbreaking.”

Mannford says 29 homes were a total loss. Many are in town on Greenbriar Circle and about a half mile away on Birch Drive.

Right away, neighbors mobilized to help each other.

“We saw a need in the community and we just felt drawn to meet that need,” said Lexie Dorius.

Lexie Dorius helped create the Citizens Helping Citizens Facebook Group and the corresponding disaster relief center at the First Baptist Church in Mannford.

“We see our friends and our families hurting, and we all want to do something,” said Dorius.

It’s not just community groups and neighbors stepping in. The city is also trying to ease the burden homeowners are facing right now.

At a special-called meeting on March 27, the board of trustees voted on a resolution to provide help.

First, they voted to forgive recent utility bills for customers directly impacted by the fires.

Second, they votde to streamline the permit process for families wanting to rebuild.

“It’ll make it easier and faster for them to gain permits to start the rebuilding process,” said Abercrombie.

“Certainly people have lost treasured things like mementos and things that cannot be replaced, but people are still encouraged and they’re ready to get started on the rebuilding process,” he said.

The mayor says it’s a way to quickly rebuild the community they all love.