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Wildfires Ravage Thousands of Acres in Texas

Wildfire
Texas wildfire | Image by THawkins / Shutterstock

Intense wildfires are blazing through central Texas as drought conditions and high winds increase the flames’ capacity for destruction.

A number of recent response efforts have kept emergency workers busy. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, 178 wildfires burned 108,493 acres across Texas over the last seven days.

Eastland County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley, 51, lost her life trying to help residents escape the fire, CNN reports.

Deputy Sgt. Fenley was last heard from while she was on her way to check on an older adult. However, due to poor weather conditions and smoke, Fenley died after her vehicle ran off the road.

“Sgt. Fenley gave her life in the service of others and loved her community,” Eastland County Sheriff’s Office shared. “She will be deeply missed.”

Fenley is survived by her husband and three children.

On the morning of March 21, firefighters continued to battle wildfires in Eastland County that began on the afternoon of March 17, KHO-11 reports.

The Texas Incident Response System lists seventy-three fires in the Lone Star State as of late afternoon on March 21, fifty-four of which are 100% contained, leaving a total of nineteen wildfires burning that are not yet fully controlled.

Five fires are at 0% containment; The Swamp (Walker County), LAP-Buffalo (a controlled burn in Hutchinson County), Luginvyhl (a controlled burn in Hutchinson County), and the Coleman and Coleman 2 fires (in San Augustine County).

There were seven fires in Eastland County, Texas, dubbed the Eastland Complex Fire: the Kidd Fire, the Blowing Basin Fire, the Cedar Mountain Fire, the Oak Mott Fire, the Wheat Field Fire, the Mangum Fire, and the Walling Fire.

Together, the fires have burned nearly 55,000 acres. Most of the wildfires in this complex are the Kidd Fires, burning over 42,333 acres and only 40% contained as of the afternoon of March 21.

Aviation resources at the Eastland Complex Fire working to contain the wildfires and helping bolster the firefighting include three large air tankers, helicopters, and three Fireboss Single Engine Air Tankers.

On March 21, more than 10,366 acres had burned by the Big L fire in Erath County. It was 50% contained as of noon on March 21, and the fire had stopped progressing.

Those who live in the city of Lipan had been told to leave their homes as a result of the wildfires. Those orders have since been lifted. Firefighters set up a line at Star Hollow Road, south of Lipan, to stop the fire from spreading.

Many roads there have been closed to all but firefighters since Monday morning. Officials say the fire started in Erath County, then moved to Hood County, and is going north.

Hood County officials say four firefighters have been injured. One had first-degree burns and was taken to the hospital, treated, and then released from the hospital and sent home.

The Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) team in McGregor sent firefighters from member fire departments to help fire-stricken areas.

“Captain Matt Barbee and Firefighter Logan Lane were sent to help mop-up the Walling Fire and prepare for wind shifts that were expected today in Eastland County, just south of Cisco,” said Paris Fire Department Fire Chief Thomas McMonigle. “Unless otherwise resigned, the two are expected to remain stationed there for the remainder of their seven-day deployment.”

A Baptist church in Ranger, Texas, was destroyed by the wildfires last week.

“The fire may have started from the barbecue pit and been fueled by high winds,” Ranger Fire Chief Darrell Fox said. “We had everything ready throughout the county. But when we have the winds like there was … and the humidity down to nothing, this is what you’re going to get.”

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth warns residents in western and central Texas of an elevated fire risk due to weather conditions and urges residents to exercise caution to avoid causing preventable grass fires.

On March 21, the Texas A&M Forest Service said there is great potential for significant and difficult-to-control wildfires in Southwest Texas, specifically for areas near Del Rio, San Angelo, San Antonio, and Laredo.

Rain on March 21 was welcomed as Texas firefighters continue to battle the flames.

“Days like today, when we do maybe have a little bit of precipitation in the air and some cloud cover, are going to be the days that our crews can really make progress on containing these fires,” Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Erin O’Connor told Texas Standard.

But even as rain fell over some parts of Texas, other parts of the state remain at risk. O’Conner said Texas is currently in the midst of a drought that only continues to intensify.

“When you have any wildfire ignition on the landscape, under those conditions it is going to spread rapidly and grow quickly,” he said.

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