Texas officials have issued mandatory evacuation orders and urged people to flee their homes after a 1,200-acre wildfire broke out on Friday.
The major fire, which covered an area the size of 900 football fields on Friday night, is dubbed the Game Preserve Fire and originally broke out Friday afternoon in Walker County, Texas, in a wooded area along Lost Indian Camp Road.
In officials’ latest update, they said the blaze had engulfed 1,200 acres of land and was brought under control at 10 percent.
Just hours earlier, the fire was estimated to have spread over 100 acres, before expanding to 500 acres and then 1,000 acres. This prompted officials to ask local residents to flee.
Those living on Pinedale Road near the blaze have been told to evacuate their homes, which appear to be mostly farms.
It is currently unclear what caused the fire and whether anyone was injured
The large fire currently covers an area of 900 football fields and started Friday afternoon
Firefighters will monitor the blaze throughout the evening and more crews are expected to be on the scene tomorrow
Images and videos shared on social media show thick, dark plumes of smoke seeping into the sky as the fire burns.
Images from the air show how big the forest fire has become in such a short time.
Neighbors told Fox26 that houses have been set on fire and livestock has been evacuated from the area.
Local man Andy Walker spoke with ABC13 while he was evacuating on Pinedale Road.
He said, ‘It’s creepy. There is amber and ashes everywhere. When you stop the truck, there’s ash all over the truck.”
Walker said he was getting ready to move his cattle and was not taking any chances.
On social media, the Walker County Office of Emergency Management said, “Our wonderful community – please help me organize the chaos, questions about donations and assistance should be directed to one place.
“For your own safety, don’t just show up without contacting me. This is a dangerous fire.’
The latest update from the Texas Forest Service read: “The fire in Walker County covers an estimated 1,200 acres and is 10% contained.
“Bulldozers continue to build a containment line. Firefighters will be patrolling the area tonight. Aviation and auxiliary crews will be on site tomorrow to assist with the response.”
Images from the air show how big the forest fire has become in such a short time
A volunteer fire service has shared footage of the wildfire, showing crews battling the blaze
Images and videos shared on social media show thick, dark plumes of smoke seeping into the sky as the fire burns
An earlier update stated that the fire behavior was ‘high to extreme’.
In a post shared on social media, the Walker County Office of Emergency Management said, “Large fire on Lost Indian Camp Road at FM247.
FM247 is closed on both lanes from Pinedale to FM2989. Evacuation recommended everything within a three-mile radius of Lost Indian Camp Road. Air strike drops water.
It is currently unclear what caused the fire and whether anyone was injured.
A local man shared his reaction on TikTok after seeing the smoke rise into the sky for the first time.
In the video, the man says, “No, nothing. Damn full of the damn wildfires going on here in Huntsville.
‘And we’re just sitting here. I was just driving and I saw smoke everywhere.’
The man then pans his camera, revealing thick plumes of smoke in the air above him, some distance from the actual fire smoldering in the distance.
Other footage shared online by the Lovelady Volunteer Fire Department shows air teams dropping water on the inferno.
The TikTok user rotates his camera to show how much smoke has filled the air in the surrounding area
Crews on the ground have used bulldozers to create containment lines
Videos shared by the department also show several firefighters driving down one road towards the flames.
The camera pans to reveal the entire wooded area around the road engulfed in flames.
According to a statement from Governor Greg Abbott, the state is currently experiencing triple-digit temperatures, with more than 98 percent of the state experiencing drought conditions.
The Walker County government’s website said it had already issued a ban on burning fires on July 31, which limits most ignitions outdoors.
The reported fire area is 83 miles outside of downtown Houston.
Images and videos shared on social media show thick, dark plumes of smoke seeping into the sky as the fire burns
Texas Governor Greg Abbott also announced that he had directed the Texas A&M Forest Service to open the Austin Airtanker base at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to help with wildfire suppression.
Governor Abbott said in a statement, “Texas has activated the Austin Airtanker Base to further assist our brave firefighters and emergency response personnel across the state and protect Texans from these wildfires.
“Additional resources through this air tanker base will provide even greater support to state and local officials as they respond quickly.
“With triple-digit heat forecasted for this Labor Day weekend, I urge Texans to remain alert to the weather and limit any activity that could create sparks or flames that could lead to accidental fires.”
The base will serve as a reloading station for planes coming and going to the bushfires.
It comes after a hellish summer of wildfires that left dozens of people dead on the Hawaiian island of Maui and the country’s east coast was engulfed in thick smog from fires in Canada.
Recently, fires raged on the idyllic island of Maui, killing at least 115 people so far.
The Maui incident is the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century.
So far, the names of 50 people have been publicly released and five others have been identified, but their identities have been hidden as next of kin have not been reached. The rest have yet to be identified.
A handout photo made available by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources shows an aerial view of the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires on Maui
The sky in New York turned orange last month due to the magnitude of the Canadian wildfires. Pictured: The Big Apple shrouded in smog on June 7 this year
In June, more than 120 million Americans were issued a “very unhealthy” air quality warning after smoke from fires in Canada reached the border.
At one point, there were five cities in the US that made up the 10 worst places on Earth for air quality.