Wildfires

Wildfires Force Evacuation Orders in Three North Texas Counties; 2 Firefighters Injured

The Hood County Sheriff confirms one firefighter has been injured

Fast-moving wildfires continue to grow west of Fort Worth with three counties under evacuation orders.

Evacuation orders are in place in parts of Hood, Erath and hard-hit Eastland counties as winds push new fires into the area.

Two firefighters have been injured since Sunday in Hood County, officials said Monday morning.

EVACUATION ORDERS AND SHELTER OPTIONS

The evacuation order for the city of Lipan has been lifted as of Monday morning, according to a statement posted on the official Hood County Twitter page.

Hood County Sheriff's Department deputies went door-to-door Sunday telling residents of Lipan to leave. They had to grab what they could and find a way out of the path of the fire.

"The sheriff just come up and said there was a fire on the way," said Arnold Thedford. "Well, I ain't got no place else to go, I got a sister up in Oklahoma, but where am I going to go?"

The Hood County Sheriff's office released a list of available shelter options in the area. The list includes the following:

  • 1st Christian Church at 2109 West Highway 377, Granbury
  • First United Methodist Church at 301 Loop 567, Granbury
  • YMCA at 1475 James Road, Granbury
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 1226 Ross Lane, Granbury
  • Camp Crucis at 2875 Camp Crucis Road, Granbury
  • Somervell Expo in Glen Rose has open camping stations
Juan Rodriguez with Texas A&M Forest Service gives the latest update on efforts to fight wildfires across North Texas.

BIG L FIRE

What's being called the "Big L" fire has burned at least 11,000 acres in Erath and Hood counties but is under control as of midday Monday.

At an 11 a.m. news conference, a Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman said the fire was 20% contained.

Since noon Sunday, two firefighters -- a mother and daughter serving with the North Hood County Volunteer Fire Department -- were injured in the Big L fire, Hood county said. Crystal Head, the mother, was treated at a hospital for first-degree burns and released. Her daughter, Briana Head, was brought to a hospital but did not receive treatment, the county said.

Overnight, two firefighters were treated for dehydration and have since returned to service.

"With the grass being dry and this wind pushing it so that's what allows for the fire to get established," said Angel Lopez Portillo with the Texas Forest Service.

Owners scrambled to prepare a fire line in hopes of saving their land as the flames grew in the distance.

"Never had any fire issues or been in any positions like this until today," said resident Scooter Tidwell. "They are watering the ground right there maybe if it does reach us. it will slow it down a little bit before it reaches the house and the barn. [It's] a little nervewracking."

As fire crews showed up so did people with trailers trying to save their livestock, but not everyone could get to their property as roads leading to the fire were blocked by law enforcement.

"We came down from Weatherford to get our cattle off our land, we didn't want them to burn to death," said Brent Timmons. "We were seven minutes too late, they closed it down seven minutes before we got here."

Timmons and his family are forced to watch and wait and hope for the best.

"This is an agrarian society out here and even if people are safe which is the most important thing," said Pastor Justin Jeter with First Christian Church in Granbury. "We worry about animals we worry about land and structures."

First Christian Church in Granbury opened as a shelter Sunday. About a half dozen volunteers stood ready to receive people leaving their homes in other parts of Hood County.

"We're hoping here that nobody's displaced and if they are they have places to go that's safe and warm with food on the table," Jeter said.

Smoke could be clearly seen from the church Sunday evening as donors came by with supplies for evacuees.

EASTLAND COMPLEX FIRE

The Texas A&M Forest Service said three new fires Sunday were added to the Eastland Complex fire. In all, seven fires make up the Eastland Complex fire which has scorched more than 54,000 acres.

BLOWING BASIN FIRE

One of the new fires added to the Eastland County has been labeled the "Blowing Basin Fire."

Anyone in the path of that fire near Farm-to-Market Road 2731 and County Road 230 has been asked to evacuate north.

The Texas State Guard has joined the firefight.

CEDAR MOUNTAIN FIRE

The new Cedar Mountain fire shut down Highway 6 between the town of Eastland and Cisco Sunday.

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