On the above photo the red squares indicate heat from a wildfire detected by a satellite at 1:39 p.m. CST, January 30, 2016. At that time the fire was two to three miles south of Eula, Texas.
Strong winds and low relative humidities have promoted the growth of several large wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma. One of the blazes causing evacuations, the High Line Fire, is about 12 miles southeast of Abiline, Texas, north of highway 36 and two to three miles south of Eula.
The National Weather Service announced at about 6 p.m. on Saturday that an evacuation has been requested for the Eula area.
Several structures have already caught fire. Residents are urged to evacuate to the north toward Interstate 20. Evacuation shelters have also been set up at the Eula High School, and the First Baptist Church in Clyde. The Red Cross will be on scene at these locations after 6 p.m.
A spokesperson from the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office said the suspected cause is a power line.
Here is the evacuation area for the wildfire near Eula. #txwx #Abilene pic.twitter.com/bwUtMEshOX
— NWS San Angelo (@NWSSanAngelo) January 30, 2016
Residents in Eula now being evacuated. All surrounding FD called in to help including AFD. @KTABTV pic.twitter.com/YaAHHXPSiY
— Stacie Wirmel (@StacieWirmelTV) January 30, 2016
High Line Fire update: 120 acres and 25% contained. Residents in unaffected areas allowed to return per report #txfire #txwx
— TXA&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) January 31, 2016
Portions of west Texas and Oklahoma are under a wildfire Red Flag Warning.
A fire 20 to 25 miles south of Oklahoma City, southwest of Norman between Blanchard and Goldsby is also causing problems. It put up a large amount of smoke that was detected on weather radar, which is represented by the color blue on the map below.
Quite the smoke plume visible on radar. #okwx #wildfire pic.twitter.com/CpwvDuQqyL
— Robert MacDonald (@Rmacd24) January 30, 2016
Bob Mills SkyNews 9 is flying over a large grass fire between Blanchard, Goldsby. Stay with https://t.co/448iqtN1uI. pic.twitter.com/18b95e8o4X
— News 9 (@NEWS9) January 30, 2016
Firefighters Battle Large Grass Fire Between Blanchard, Goldsby https://t.co/AmLsK8NlMf #News9 pic.twitter.com/U2O83WeYBQ
— News 9 (@NEWS9) January 30, 2016
This is what happens in Oklahoma and Northern Texas, every mid winter, to one degree or another. The grass is dead but still arranged vertical. Burns like gunpowder with the dry fronts passing through.
(My singular experience- Ada Complex, February/March 1996. Multiple initial and extended attacks, nearly every day, for three weeks. An eye opener for a guy weened on So Cal chaparral and Pacific/Rocky Mountain timber).
My prayers for safety and best wishes for success go to the hundreds of mostly volunteer fire fighters (who are solely community supported) as they answer the call and engage.