Firefighters from 32 North Texas departments have joined efforts to combat two major wildfires burning more than 21,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle, amid persistent high winds and dry conditions that are hindering containment.
The Lavender Fire in Oldham County, along U.S. Highway 385 south of Tascosa, has burned an estimated 12,000 acres and remains just 20% contained. The Eightball Fire in Armstrong County, east of Goodnight, has consumed 9,000 acres and is 40% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Strong winds reaching 30 mph, combined with rough terrain and dry vegetation, are posing significant obstacles for crews.
“Right now, one of the biggest challenges firefighters on the ground are facing is rough terrain, dry vegetation, and wind,” said Laura Stevens, with the forest service, Fox 4 KDFW reported.“We have a lot of resources in the state that are part of the TIFNAS program, which is the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System,” Stevens said. “There are 32 departments from the DFW area that are responding to wildfires, and responding to assistance.”
The deployment includes about 100 personnel from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with some already on site and others en route. Participating agencies include Dallas Fire Rescue, Fort Worth Fire Department, and departments from Arlington, Grand Prairie, Plano, North Richland Hills, Desoto, Carrollton, Aledo, Keller, and others.
“These winds are not letting up,” said Meghan Mahurin, a public information officer with the Texas A&M Forest Service, KVUE reported. “They’re just continuing on through the afternoon, which is complicating suppression efforts.”
Mahurin noted that gusty conditions are forecast to persist over the coming days and may strengthen again next week. She encouraged locals to remain vigilant and refrain from actions that could ignite new blazes.
Voluntary evacuations have been issued in affected areas, and residents are urged to remain alert. The forest service reported responding to nine wildfires across the region on Tuesday.
The outbreaks occurred two years after the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history, which ravaged the Panhandle, burning more than 1 million acres.
