Fire officials in Logan County, Oklahoma and the surrounding area are scrambling for safety after a controlled burn that was intentionally ignited on Sunday by authorities exploded in size from a few hundred acres late in the afternoon up to approximately 4,000 acres within just a few short hours.

At least eight agencies, including fire departments in Oklahoma City, Guthrie and Edmund, as well as the Logan County Sheriff's Office and others, have joined forces to collaborate as they try to gain control of this inferno.

The fire is ravaging the town of Guthrie, where roads have been closed down and mandatory evacuations have been put in place after a reported 20 structures -- including many occupied homes -- were destroyed.

According to a report from Oklahoma 9 News, on Sunday night authorities said that the fire had claimed its first human life. A 56-year-old man, whose identity has not yet been released, is alleged to have refused to leave his home after being ordered to evacuate. Unfortunately, the man became the fire's first official fatality.

Officials don't yet have any verifiable information regarding containment of the fire. CNN reports that in terms of size, Chief Deputy Richard Stephens of the Logan County Sheriff's Office approximates that at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday the fire measured about four miles long and up to a mile wide.

"It's growing so fast it's pretty hard to estimate," Stephens said. "There are a lot of cedar trees [in the area], they have a lot of oil in them and they just explode."

For the latest news & updates, follow reporter Bary Alyssa Johnson on Twitter: @MissBary