What to Know
- The 1148 Fire near Possum Kingdom Lake has burned about 500 acres and destroyed five homes.
- The Red Cross set up a resource center and shelter for evacuees at the Westlake Chapel.
- A Red Flag Fire Warning is in effect -- drought conditions have left much of North Texas ripe for fire.
A wildfire forced the evacuation of dozens of homes Monday near Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County, authorities say.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said as of Tuesday night, 500 acres were believed to have been scorched by the fire with only 10% containment.
Initial reports Monday indicated the 1148 Fire was very active and about 50 homes were being evacuated. Video from the scene showed several homes engulfed in flames. Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner confirmed Tuesday that five homes had been destroyed along with five outbuildings.
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Mandatory evacuations east of Chapel Road on Farm-to-Market Road 1148 had been lifted by Tuesday afternoon, Turner added.
"It’s just voluntary. We recommend people evacuate the area because there is so much work still going on. We’re not super confident on this fire staying here," Turner said.
Dramatic pictures posted on social media showed flames and smoke rising from the green vegetation near several homes on Monday. A tweet from the forest service appeared to show the fire burning along and north of FM 1148, which is from where officials drew the fire's name.
Turner told NBC 5 ground crews would work through Tuesday night containing hot-spots along the hillsides.
Kathy Wendler lives near the fire site and said so far, she felt comfortable with staying in her home.
"Lots of fire. Lots of smoke but we never got any ash or anything on our end, but it got very close to my sister’s house," Wendler said.
Authorities have ordered additional resources to help contain the fire.
It's not yet clear how it was started.
Possum Kingdom Lake is located about 80 miles west of Fort Worth.
RED FLAG FIRE WARNING TUESDAY
Turner told the Associated Press that no injuries have been reported and the cause was under investigation, but it isn't believed to have been intentionally set, Turner said.
Turner has said drought conditions in the region have left the area ripe for fire.
"It’s incredibly hot. With that heat comes danger for the firefighters and responders and residents," he told NBC 5. "Fire is going to grow quite rapidly and the tolerance for heat is not going to be there as much, so firefighters may only be able to work 15 minutes before he has to take a second to rehydrate."
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag fire warning for the area for Tuesday in addition to an excessive heat warning with high temperatures near 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
"We are experiencing dry fuels to a level that we haven't seen in the past 10 years," Turner said. "Any spark that lands in tall grass or even lands in some short grass right now is liable to spark."
1148 FIRE IN PALO PINTO COUNTY
RESOURCE CENTER SET UP FOR EVACUEES
The Red Cross set up a resource center and shelter for evacuees at the Westlake Chapel on the west side of the lake.
Coby Teakall of Graham, Texas volunteers at the church with his grandmother. Teakall recalled assisting about 20 people on Monday night, as a result of the fire.
"With this being such a small community, we just all come together like a big family anyways. Help out," he said. "It’s crazy. Outrageous. It’s sad that it happens."
CHALK MOUNTAIN FIRE BURNS 4,000 ACRES
About 55 miles to the southeast of the 1148 Fire is another large wildfire that grew in size Tuesday.
The Chalk Mountain Fire, burning in an area between Dinosaur Valley State Park and Chalk Mountain, is about 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth and sent huge plumes of smoke into the air over Somervell County Monday afternoon.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Texas A&M Forest Service reported the fire had been very active overnight and spotted over multiple areas of Farm-to-Market Road 205. The fire has consumed about 6,000 acres and was about 10% contained.
2011 TEXAS WILDFIRES
In April 2011, during an extreme drought, four out-of-control wildfires burning in close proximity to each other were dubbed The Possum Kingdom Complex Fire. The fires scorched 126,000 acres of parched Texas ranch land and destroyed 168 homes and two churches.
Senior Meteorologist David Finfrock said in the NBC 5 docu-series Inside the Storm: Texas Burning, that at that time the period from August 2010 to July 2011 was the driest 12 consecutive months on record.
Later that summer, in August, a second fire erupted near the lake called the PK 101 Ranch fire. That fire burned more than 6,000 additional acres on the south side of the lake and destroyed nearly 40 more homes.
On Sept. 4, 2011, a massive wildfire erupted in Central Texas. The Bastrop County Complex Fire, east of Austin, became the most destructive wildfire in Texas history. More than 1,600 homes and structures were destroyed when 32,000 acres were scorched, including 96% of the 6,565-acre Bastrop State Park. Two people died in the fires.
During that 2011 fire season, the Texas A&M Forest Service said more than 31,000 fires burned more than four million acres across the state and destroyed 2,947 homes.
