Hundreds of personnel responding to wildfires raging throughout Texas

(The Center Square) – Texas A&M Fire Service warned Texans to avoid any outdoor activity that may cause a spark, as wildfires continued to rage throughout the state.

The warning comes after hundreds of personnel have been responding to several fire complexes. Resources from 14 states helped crews battle more than 178 fires that burned over 108,000 acres in one week.

There are currently 12 active fires and complexes containing multiple fires, according to a real time wildfire map published by the Texas Department of Emergency Management.

Gov. Greg Abbott also gave an update on the state’s wildfire response Sunday while meeting with local officials and emergency personnel in Medina County. He also added the county to the disaster declaration he issued last week and thanked first responders and emergency personnel for “working tirelessly to protect communities impacted by fire activity.”

In Medina County, more than 200 firefighters and 19 state agencies are fighting the Das Goat Fire, which has burned more than 1,000 acres since Friday afternoon.

The Medina County Office of Emergency Management issued mandatory evacuations Saturday for some areas, with more evacuations possible. Residents in the area are encouraged to have “go bags” ready in the car or near the exit of their homes in case of an immediate need to evacuate. The agency is continuing to publish up-to-date information on various social media platforms.

So far, the fire has destroyed three homes and 37 homes are threatened. It was about 10% contained as of Sunday afternoon.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

“You can rebuild property,” Abbott said. “If you lose a life, you can’t rebuild anything. These are challenging times across the state of Texas with regards to different kinds of disasters.”

Local officials are working around the clock to improve fire conditions, he added, with the hopes of restoring electricity to homes that haven’t been damaged in the area.

Many regions of Texas remain under a high-to-extreme-elevated fire risk due to high winds, low humidly, and drought conditions. Texans are encouraged to practice wildfire safety, especially in areas where burn bans are active.

Smoke will be visible as far away as San Antonio and is directly impacting air quality near Medina Lake, Bandera, Pipe Creek, Boerne, Comfort and Kerrville, the National Weather Service reports. The NWS also issued a Red Flag Warning for many parts of the state.

“The fire environment may support wildfires where critically/extremely dry fuel, hot temperatures are forecast near Abilene, Midland, San Angelo, Mineral Wells, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Del Rio, Laredo, Brownsville,” the Texas A&M Fire Service warns.

On Saturday, fire crew and emergency personnel responded to 23 wildfires statewide that burned 970 acres, the forest service said. Crew also continued to work on several carryover fires including the Eastland Complex. As of March 26, the Eastland Complex in Eastland County was 54,513 acres and 90% contained.

At the height of its activity, 403 local, county, state and out-of-state responders and 122 resources, fought the fires in the Eastland Complex and assisted with evacuations, the forest service reports.

As of 4 p.m. Sunday, the firefighters responded to a request for assistance to fight the Crittenburg Fire near Fort Hood in Coryell County. It had burned an estimated 10,000 acres and was 0% contained. By 7 pm, the fire became the Crittenburg Complex, consisting of three wildfires that burned together. The complex is an estimated 17,267 acres and is 0% contained, the fire service reported Sunday night.

The Texas Department of Emergency Management is warning Texans that “relative humidity values, wind speeds and dry fuels will create wildfire weather conditions for significant portions of Texas to finish off the month of March.”

“Texans in the areas of concern are encouraged to make an evacuation plan with multiple routes, prepare an emergency kit with supplies, heed guidance from local officials and monitor local news,” it adds.

Those who’ve sustained damages caused by wildfires are encouraged to report them through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT).

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square