Do prairies work the same way as forests? Namely, that the more often you have fires, the less severe they are?

Not really. Everything that burned except for the trees will be grown back or rebuilt by fall. So there will be plenty of fuel for a fire to work with next season.

Thats a heck of a fire, definitly want to stay out of its path

Wife's gf lost some cattle, a house (not one he lived in), a couple barns, and some other things like oilfield stuff.

Prarie grass grows fast and burns even quicker, not to mention the leaves all over the ground. Between the wind and the quick flying embers nothing has a chance not to burn in OK when it is dry.