Texas Archives - Wildfire Today

More than 70 cars burn in grass parking lot near Temple, Texas

Bill GabbertOctober 18, 2022October 18, 2022WildfireTexas5 Comments

The parking lot at the Robinson Family Farm in Temple, Texas turned into an inferno Saturday afternoon during their annual pumpkin patch event. According to the owner of the farm no injuries were reported but approximately 73 vehicles were destroyed when a wind-driven fire spread rapidly through the mowed pasture used as a parking lot.

From KWTX:

The Temple Fire & Rescue Department responded to the blaze at around 1 p.m. Oct. 15. Multiple fire departments from Little River Academy, Troy, Rogers, Salado, Holland, Bartlett and Belton were called to assist.

The first units to arrive found approximately 10 cars on fire in the pasture area used for parking but due to the numbers of cars involved, the East Side Strike Team was called to bring in additional resources.

Fire crews were able to move some of the cars out of the way of the flames.

One attendee on Facebook wrote, “I have to say that is the most exciting and expensive pumpkin patch we’ve been to” after their family van “burned to a crisp.”

On April 3, 2020 3,516 rental cars parked in a mowed field near the Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) near Fort Myers, Florida burned in a similar manner.

“The cars were stored in a location not ordinarily used for any specific purpose”, Victoria B. Moreland, Director of Communications and Marketing for the airport said at the time. “The large number was due to the car rental agencies serving RSW not renting inventory during the peak season due to the current COVID-19 crisis.”

rental cars burn fire Fort Myers Airport — More than 3,500 rental cars burn at Southwest Florida International Airport at Fort Myers, Florida April 3, 2020. Fort Myers Fire Department photo.

At one point firefighters in Florida used dozers to build fireline through the cars to stop the spread.

Scooping air tanker crashes in Texas Lake, pilot rescued

Bill GabbertAugust 9, 2022Wildfireair tanker, crash, TexasLeave a comment

The single engine air tanker was refilling at Lake Livingston

7:27 p.m. CDT August 9, 2022

Map, August 9, 2022 helicopter crash in Lake Livingston, Texas.

This article was first published at Fire Aviation.

Tuesday afternoon, August 9, a single engine air tanker working on a wildfire in southeast Texas crashed in Lake Livingston. The pilot was quickly rescued, taken to shore, and treated.

The accident was announced by the Texas Forest Service’s Lone Star State Incident Management Team which said the agency was assisting with wildfires in the Corrigan area.

The incident occurred at about 5 p.m. CDT. Lake Livingston is 25 miles southwest of Corrigan and 55 miles northeast of Houston.

The Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss is amphibious. It has floats and can skim across the surface of a lake to refill its water tank, then fly to the fire and assist firefighters by dropping water. The Texas Forest Service does not own any air tankers, they issue contracts to private companies.

When we hear more about the condition of the pilot we will update this article. An 802 Fire Boss usually only has one person on board.

File photo of an Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss operated by Conair. Not necessarily the aircraft involved in the incident. — File photo of an Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss. Not the aircraft involved in the incident.

There have been two other incidents in the last seven days involving Air Tractor 802 Fire Boss air tankers.

On August 3 a Fire Boss suffered an engine failure and made a forced landing while working on a fire in British Columbia. The pilot survived.

Two days later on August 5 a Fire Boss crashed and sank in the Gulf of Elefsina while working on a fire near Nea Peramos in Greece. It occurred about 12 miles west of Athens as the air tanker was scooping water. Both crew members were rescued.

There have been three recent fatal helicopter crashes related to wildfires.

On July 16, 2022 a Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter crashed northeast of Albuquerque, New Mexico, killing all four on board. It had been assisting with a wildfire, providing bucket drops and other air logistics needs to fire crews on the ground.

A Boeing CH-47D helicopter crashed into the Salmon River July 20, 2022 while working on the Moose Fire in Idaho, firefighters swam across the river to extract and care for the two pilots. Unfortunately, both of the pilots died from their injuries.

On June 26, 2022 a Bell UH-1B operated by Northern Pioneer Helicopters out of Big Lake, Alaska was attempting to assist firefighters by hauling equipment to the Clear Fire by a 125-foot long line. It was maneuvering at the Clear Airport 53 miles southwest of Fairbanks about 140 feet above the ground to have the end of the long line connected to the cargo. A loud noise was heard and the helicopter fell to the ground, killing the pilot, the only person on board.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Tom.

Cresson Volunteer Fire Department’s engine burned over in brush fire

Bill GabbertAugust 6, 2022August 6, 2022UncategorizedTexas1 Comment

Southwest of Fort Worth, Texas

Cresson Volunteer FD engine burned over — Photo by Cresson Volunteer FD, August 3, 2022.

From the Cresson Volunteer Fire Department, August 3, 2022

“This afternoon we sent 3 trucks to help on a wildfire reportedly started by welding north of Tolar. While working with a group of other trucks in a clear area extinguishing spot fires one of our trucks stalled and lost mobility. Seeing that the fire was approaching, our crew left the truck on foot and retreated to a safe area. Another truck picked them up and our firefighters were evaluated by EMS. One of our firefighters did inhale some smoke and had burns on a small portion of his face and arms. He was flown to Parkland, and his evaluation is excellent. We don’t know yet, but he may be released without even spending the night. These are dangerous fires for all of us, and our guys’ training and decision making kept a bad incident from getting worse. UPDATE: just received confirmation that our firefighter is being released and heading home from the hospital.”

More information

Grass fire burns into Dallas suburb, destroys 9 homes

Bill GabbertJuly 25, 2022August 17, 2022WildfireTexas, WUI5 Comments

Another 17 were damaged

11:53 p.m. CDT July 25, 2022

Balch Springs Fire — Grass fire spreads into neighborhood in Balch Springs, Texas, July 25, 2022. Image from video by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth.

A grass fire burned into a suburb of Dallas, Texas Monday afternoon destroying 9 homes and damaging another 17, according to city officials. It occurred in Balch Springs when a mower struck an object in a field, creating a spark which ignited dry grass near Interstate 20 and South Beltline Road.

A steady breeze pushed the fire into a row of houses adjacent to the field. One by one the fire ignited house after house, aided by a fence that ran behind and between all of the homes which contributed to the fuel load and the continuous spread.

In the 30-minute video below very few firefighters are seen for the first 20 minutes. Balch Springs, with an estimated population of about 25,000 in 2019 has about eight firefighters working on any given day, Fox 4 news reported. The fire was well established when the video began, with at least one home already burning.

Looking at the video from a firefighter’s perspective, it is interesting to see how the fire progresses as the fence and outbuildings burn intensely, structures ignite, police gather in the street, a dog in a backyard looks worried (at 17:48), and little is seen in the video to initially stop the spread through the field or the neighborhood. However we don’t see the street side of the homes except at the very beginning; there may have been more firefighter activity on that side. There was a tower/ladder truck in the street that looked like it kept about four houses from being destroyed.

Our hearts go out to the residents who lost their homes.

Firefighters work to control two fires in north Texas, Chalk Mountain and 1148

Bill GabbertJuly 20, 2022July 20, 2022WildfireTexas5 Comments

Multiple homes were destroyed in both fires

2:07 p.m. CDT July 20, 2022

Chalk Mountain Fire

The Chalk Mountain Fire 48 miles southwest of Fort Worth, Texas has burned more than 6,339 acres north of US near Highway 67 since it started Monday between Dinosaur Valley State Park and the community of Chalk Mountain.

It was first reported north of US 67, east of FM51, then spread north and northeast, crossing CR-205. Wednesday morning it was approaching CR-1008. Group torching of trees and crown fires have been observed with the fire spotting up to 200 yards ahead from timbered areas into brush and grassy fuels. On the west side crews are working to keep the fire east of FM51. Firefighters will continue constructing fire containment lines and providing structure protection to homes Wednesday.

Chalk Mountain Fire July 19, 2022. InciWeb.

On July 19, The Hood County Judge issued a mandatory evacuation for the areas of Hutchinson, Coleman Ranch Road, Rock Church Highway, and Nocal in Tolar, however that evacuation order has since been rescinded.

A Post Fire Assessment Team arrived Tuesday and is assessing impacts on structures. There are 12 confirmed destroyed as of Wednesday morning, however this number is expected to increase.

There have been no reports of serious injuries.

Collateral damage of the Chalk Mountain Fire in Somervell County. Cleanup continues today. #ChalkMountainFire pic.twitter.com/NdTuwJ7Ql3

— David Montesino (@dmontesino) July 20, 2022

1148 Fire, Palo Pinto County

Another fire that started on Monday was the 1148 Fire on the north side of Possum Kingdom Lake four miles west of Pickwick. Wednesday morning it had burned 454 acres north of FM1148.

map 1148 Fire 1116 a.m. July 20 2022 Texas — Map of the 1148 Fire at 11:16 a.m. July 20, 2022,

Tuesday night a hand crew and dozers completed a fireline along the north side, connecting both the west and east sides to FM1148.

The Star-Telegram reported “At least two homes seen from the lake were visibly gutted by the fire. Authorities reported at least eight homes were believed to be destroyed, although assessment of the damage continued as the fire still burned Wednesday. The affected homes are in an area called Lake Shore Cove.”

Initially, 50 homes were evacuated. As of Wednesday that has been reduced to a voluntary evacuation.

Dozer constructing fireline 1148 Fire in Texas — Dozer constructing fireline on north side of the 1148 Fire. Posted on InciWeb July 20, 2022. Credit, J. Smith, Texas Forest Service.

Firefighters working to put out the Possum Kingdom Lake wildfire with Water Scooper Aircraft.?? #tx #possumkingdomlake #wildfire pic.twitter.com/vHEXWm3f95

— Tyler George (@TyGe86) July 18, 2022

Dempsey Fire west of Mineral Wells, continues to challenge Texas firefighters

Bill GabbertJune 26, 2022June 26, 2022WildfireDempsey Fire, Texas3 Comments

Dempsey Fire, June 25, 2022. Texas Forest Service.

The Dempsey Fire six miles west of Mineral Wells, Texas has crossed the Brazos River in several places. It was very active again Saturday, but not to the extreme levels seen on Friday.

When the fire was mapped by an aircraft at 8 p.m. Saturday the northwest side had reached Fortune Bend Road and spotted across. The northeast side of the fire was close to Wrangler Field and had not reached Grassy Ridge Road or Lewis Road. It was about three miles south of Graford, one mile west of highway 337, and two to three miles south of highway 254.

To see all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dempsey Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.

The size at that time, accounting for the large unburned areas along the river, was about 10,000 acres. Sunday morning the Texas Forest Service reported it had burned 11,597 acres.

Dempsey Fire map, 8 p.m. CDT June 25, 2022.

On Saturday crews continued to construct line, hold the fire along roadways, engage spot fires, and hold the fire along the Brazos River where they could. Aircraft assisted firefighters on the ground with drops from helicopters and air tankers.

Dempsey fire morning briefing, June 26, 2022. Texas Forest Service.

The weather forecast for the fire area issued at 5:55 a.m. Sunday calls for sunny skies becoming partly cloudy after 3 p.m., 100 degrees, 25 percent relative humidity, and 9 to 13 mph winds out of the west shifting to the northeast in the afternoon with gusts to 23 by 5 p.m. The variable wind direction should slow the growth to the north, but will be a challenge to firefighters as they work to remain safe as the direction of spread changes.

Dempsey Fire, satellite photo, 5:31 p.m. CDT June 25, 2022. NOAA.

Dempsey Fire, the afternoon of June 25, 2022. Texas Forest Service.

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