Wise County navigates dangerous fire conditions

Wise County saw several grass fires, but avoided any losses against life or houses, with first aiders and civil servants made coordinated efforts to contain outbursts and to lead an isolated evacuation during the increased forest fire conditions on Friday.

The most serious fire occurred shortly before 2 p.m. between Cottondale and Springtown. The fire led to the evacuations of around 10 houses when winds pushed the fire to the northeast over 50 miles per hour.

The fire was reported in the 100 block of the 3 Scharfellstraße with an estimate of the initial size of about 150 feet. Due to heavy winds and dry vegetation, it quickly went towards County Road 3677. At 2:04 p.m. the fire was reported to 2 acres with severe fuels. Voluntary evacuations started around 2:30 p.m.

“Your security has our top priority. The wind drives to the northeast. This can affect the evacuation routes. Please use evacuation routes that are led south and/or east. If you are in the affected area, please evacuate immediately, ”said Wise County Office of Emergency Management in his evacuation messages.

Shortly afterwards, the firefighters stopped the progress in fire at 2:51 p.m. at 2:51 p.m., evacuations were lifted. The most recent estimate of the fire was 7 hectares.

Evacuation area

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The district remained on a high alert all Friday, as strong winds and low air humidity levels affect north and central texas.

Wise County activated his emergency operations center at noon and informed various civil servants about the campaign plan for the weather event.

Part of this fire incident plan included evacuation recommendations for all occupied house within 1.5 miles of a flaming front. A number of Task Force units were staged in strategic positions in the district to react to fires.

The Task Force crews relegated at 7 p.m. when the wind subsided. The EOC started to switch off at 8 p.m.

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Below you will find a list of some additional fire incidents that took place on Friday.

9057 N. FM 51, grass fire (7:25 p.m. Paradise)

• 19.31 pm requested brush car. Cleared at 7:50 p.m.

Private road 3248/3249 near the County Road 3141 and the County Road 3250 (5:30 p.m. Paradise)

“River Bend Fire”

• Grass fire in the private road 3248 and CR 3250 at 5:30 p.m.
• First aiders observe smoke, but no flames at 5:43 p.m.
• Fire at 5:50 p.m. near the 300 block PR 3248
• No structures are currently threatened.
• Under 1 morning.
• Update, 6:15 p.m. Fire is over. The crews remain on site.

A number of fires broke out between 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

• County Road 3381 and County Road 3386-2: 8 p.m. Report on unattended brush stacks, fire, surveillance.
• 374 County Road 3640 registered at 2:05 p.m. Fire at 2:37 p.m.
• County Road 3170, Decatur area, 2:40 p.m., fire fire

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Power failures reported from the wind

Wise County experienced serious failures when the wind arrived on Friday.

At around 3 p.m., Oncor reported two major failures that affect Greenwood Slidell, with 549 customers being reported without electricity and north descature and affecting 560 customers. Scattered failures were reported in Decatur, Chico and Runaway Bay.

Wise Electric Co-OP was affected by around 1,000 by a failure in the Alvord area. In the 735 County Road 3336, an electric fire was reported on a current mast.

One of the failures affected the EMS station near the Rose Avenue.

Oncor published the following information about her forest fire reduction process during the red flag warnings.

“During the red flags warnings with which areas with critical fire weather conditions are identified, Oncor deactivates certain automatic devices as part of our forest fire reduction process. When operating, these devices automatically try to restore the power supply after a problem has been recorded on a power line, e.g. B. Contact from a falling branch or other windborne. In the event of disabilities, the power supply can only be restored if oncor patrols patrol into the area to ensure that the conditions for recovery are secure. This can lead to longer downtime for customers in counties that are currently under a warning of the red flags. We recognize the inconvenience that these longer failures can have to our customers and appreciate their patience if we continue to prioritize the security of our communities and employees. ”

Forecast information

A strong storm system at the upper level, which is able to produce more than 60 miles per hour, pulled in Wise County on Friday and increased the forest fire threats for a large part of North and Central Texas to an extreme level. The southwest wind speeds are projected on average between 30 and 40 miles per hour with gusts of up to 65 miles per hour, which could lead to the rapid spread of forest fires.

NWS reported the following wind speeds:

1. Northlake 61 miles per hour
2. Sherman/Denison 58 miles per hour
3. Mineral bores 55 miles per hour
4. Fort Worth Nas JRB 52 miles per hour
5. Denton 51 MPH
6. Fort Worth Meacham 51 miles per hour
7. DFW Airport 49 miles per hour
8. Waco 48 MPH
9. Hamilton 48 miles per hour

The winds themselves were able to be able to be able to damage tree damage and influencing vehicles with a higher profile during the street like motorhomes.

Decatur ISD had a certain wind damage at Carson Elementary Friday.

The district also informed families of bus delays due to strong winds: “With very caution, our team will drive more slowly in response to the strong winds of Nordexas. Bus traffic times can be slower than usual and the waste of study can be delayed. ”