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.

A strong storm driving gusty winds and dry air across a parched landscape was fueling dangerous fire conditions across a wide swath of the country on Friday, from eastern New Mexico and Colorado to Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and even parts of the Midwest. Forecasters warned that more fire outbreaks appeared likely going into the weekend.

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