February 18, 2006
The Never Ending Texas Fire Season
I realize this link is a few days old but my point is there are still fires popping up all over North Texas and parts of Oklahoma. Hats off to the firefighters in that region, it's not going to get any easier as we approach summer!
KGBT 4 reports "Firefighters scrambled to control numerous wildfires in an area of West Texas trying to recover from a rash of fires earlier this year.
The largest fire broke out Sunday afternoon in Brown County and burned from 1,200 to 1,500 acres before firefighters controlled the fire by the evening, officials said.
The fire threatened seven houses, but only one barn was burned. There were no injuries, said Capt. John Wilkerson of the Comanche Volunteer Fire Department
The fire spread from pastureland into heavily brushed, hilly terrain where several helicopters repeatedly dropped huge buckets of water drawn from a nearby stock tank.
Wilkerson said government agencies and private owners provided bulldozers and tractors to create firebreaks to slow and stop the flames.
The fire started near the town of Rising Star, which is 50 miles southeast of Abilene and 12 miles from the town of Cross Plains. A grass fire in late December swept through Cross Plains, burning 50 homes and a church.
Wilkerson said the Sunday blaze started near a residence, but the cause had not been determined late Sunday afternoon.
The fire was one of several that broke out in the region on Sunday afternoon. Local firefighters worked to control fires in Eastland and Coleman counties — areas hard hit by grass fires in December and January.
One of the state's worst droughts in decades, combined with Sunday's high winds and low humidity, contributed to the fires.
The National Weather Service reported wind speeds of at least 20 mph throughout the day in Abilene, before the winds calmed after dark.
The Weather Service warned of elevated fire risk in the region for the remainder of the week because of low humidity and gusty winds."
KGBT 4 reports "Firefighters scrambled to control numerous wildfires in an area of West Texas trying to recover from a rash of fires earlier this year.
The largest fire broke out Sunday afternoon in Brown County and burned from 1,200 to 1,500 acres before firefighters controlled the fire by the evening, officials said.
The fire threatened seven houses, but only one barn was burned. There were no injuries, said Capt. John Wilkerson of the Comanche Volunteer Fire Department
The fire spread from pastureland into heavily brushed, hilly terrain where several helicopters repeatedly dropped huge buckets of water drawn from a nearby stock tank.
Wilkerson said government agencies and private owners provided bulldozers and tractors to create firebreaks to slow and stop the flames.
The fire started near the town of Rising Star, which is 50 miles southeast of Abilene and 12 miles from the town of Cross Plains. A grass fire in late December swept through Cross Plains, burning 50 homes and a church.
Wilkerson said the Sunday blaze started near a residence, but the cause had not been determined late Sunday afternoon.
The fire was one of several that broke out in the region on Sunday afternoon. Local firefighters worked to control fires in Eastland and Coleman counties — areas hard hit by grass fires in December and January.
One of the state's worst droughts in decades, combined with Sunday's high winds and low humidity, contributed to the fires.
The National Weather Service reported wind speeds of at least 20 mph throughout the day in Abilene, before the winds calmed after dark.
The Weather Service warned of elevated fire risk in the region for the remainder of the week because of low humidity and gusty winds."
