Texas Wildfires Fueled by High Winds, Drought

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Firefighters continued in late April to make gradual progress containing massive, wind-whipped wildfires that raged across Texas during the month. West Texas firefighters rushed to finish controlled burns in the Ft. Davis area fire ahead of higher winds that were expected to arrive April 26. That fire had grown to about 205,000 acres and was being fought by nearly 300 firefighters.

The Ft. Davis area fires are largely in canyons where bulldozers cannot go and communication is cut off. At one point the fire threatened the McDonald Observatory near Ft. Davis.

More than 1.8 million acres have burned in Texas this year. While much of that acreage has been unoccupied rangeland, such fires are not only a problem for rural homeowners, according to the state Fire Marshall. Over the past two years, 85 percent of the wildfires in Texas have occurred within two miles of a community, the Fire Marshall’s office said. Plus, much of Texas’ population growth has occurred in what is called the urban wildland interface, where subdivisions and businesses meet surrounding forests and fields, increasing the risk to dwellings and other structures.

During the Easter weekend, storms moved over the region that included a massive wildfire in the Possum Kingdom Lake recreational area, bringing precipitation and some relief for firefighters.

At least 160 homes and two churches have been destroyed in the Possum Kingdom fire located about 70 miles west of Ft. Worth.

“Insured losses for the homes and vehicles lost in the Possum Kingdom wildfire have been estimated at $150 million,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas.

No real, long-term relief to the wildfire situation in the state was expected soon. At press time, the Texas Forest Service predicted dry, windy conditions would continue to create ideal conditions for wildfires in the western portions of Texas.

Local emergency responders and state agencies expected extremely active wildfire activity in west, central and northwest Texas — areas west of a geographic line from Ft. Worth to Eagle Pass.