Heavy rain fell on and around the Ross Fire in North Texas on Thursday, a welcome respite for firefighters who have been battling the blaze for two weeks. Heavy rains, although short-lived, can extinguish flames and embers and hasten the containment of fires.
Showers and thunderstorms will bring gusty winds, scattered storms and slightly cooler temperatures, according to the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth. The Dallas-Fort Worth area has gone more than 55 days without significant rainfall, the seventh-longest rain spell on record. More isolated storms are possible Friday and into the weekend.
The Texas A&M University Forest Service said that as of September 10, the fire, one of the largest wildfires recorded in North Texas, had burned 90,400 acres in Palo Pinto and Jack counties and was about 76% contained.
In some hot spots, firefighters on the ground are unable to break through the high temperatures. Helicopters are trying to help by dropping buckets of water on burning trees and logs. The potential for reburns from charred timber and strong southeasterly winds remains a concern, according to the Forest Service’s Sept. 8 update.
Last week, the area was expected to see some rain and slightly cooler temperatures due to Tropical Storm Edward. The storm dropped temperatures into the low 90s and increased humidity in the area, helping firefighters expand the fire’s containment area from 38% to 57%. Containment is the portion of a fire where firefighters have established a cordon or barrier designed to stop the spread of the fire.
“The fire is estimated to be 90,000 acres, so some areas may get rain and some areas may not rain,” Texas A&M Forest Service public information officer Laura Stevens said last week. “This is an ongoing operation, very dynamic and changes as the weather changes.”
The Forest Service and local law enforcement agencies determined that the fire originated along a roadway and was started by equipment or a vehicle, but the exact source could not be determined.
At a press conference on September 3, Texas Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd said he expected it would take another two weeks to fully extinguish the fire.
Gov. Greg Abbott promised residents the state will help them rebuild when it is safe to do so and urged people to follow guidance from local officials on when it is safe to inspect their businesses or homes.
“To all the families who have been affected or have not been affected, our core message remains: Protect your lives,” Abbott said. “Don’t drive into (the fire). Don’t drive near it. I know you might want to go home right now, but it could be very dangerous.”
The Ross Fire started near Palo Pinto on August 24 and spread at an alarming rate through dry pasture. By August 25, officials reported that the fire had doubled in size to approximately 50,000 acres in a matter of hours. As of August 26, estimates had climbed to more than 80,000 acres.
Firefighters reported extreme fire behavior, including trees burning in clusters amid strong winds. Crews were working to extinguish the flames in steep, rocky terrain, according to the Forest Service.
Two firefighters were injured, according to Forest Service public information officer Adam Turner. One of them suffered a minor hand injury and the other suffered a minor eye injury in a traffic accident last week and were treated at the scene, Turner said.
According to preliminary assessments by firefighters, at least 157 structures, including 18 inhabited buildings, were also destroyed. Evacuation orders have been lifted, but officials told residents in or near affected areas to be prepared to evacuate quickly if conditions change.
Only a portion of Texas Highway 254 remains closed as crews continue to respond to the fire.
The National Weather Service office in Fort Worth said August was very dry and this month will be the driest August on record in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Extreme heat will also continue, with temperatures expected to hover around 100 degrees in the area over the next few days.
As much of the state experiences extreme heat, the Forest Service reports that nearly 85 fires have burned more than 99,400 acres in Texas, including the Ross Fire. Many of them have been fully contained.
The Forest Service reported that several structures were affected by the Ross Fire, including Worth Ranch, a historic 800-acre Boy Scouts of America camp along the Brazos River. The extent of property damage was unclear.
The Ross Fire is now the second-largest wildfire in the region’s history, behind only the Possum Kingdom Complex Fire in April 2011, which burned 126,734 acres, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.
Response teams battling the Ross Fire include the small rural departments closest to the fire, the Texas A&M University Forest Service and local fire departments around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
According to the Texas A&M University Forest Service, the top priorities are protecting people, defending communities and critical structures, slowing the spread of fires and building lines of defense that will ultimately contain the fires.
Governor Greg Abbott announced Aug. 25 that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a fire management assistance grant for the Ross Fire, providing financial assistance to local agencies and reimbursement of eligible firefighting expenses.
Parts of Jack County were ordered to evacuate last week as the fire spread north. The order was later lifted as conditions improved, but officials continued to warn residents to remain vigilant. Palo Pinto County had issued voluntary evacuation advisories for areas threatened by the fire, but those notices have also been lifted.
An evacuation center has been set up at the Jacksboro Twin Lakes Recreation Center, and a livestock transfer center has been set up in the area for residents who need a place to house cattle and other animals.
Smoke from the Ross Fire has been moving east and southeast into parts of North Texas, causing orange, hazy skies and affecting air quality. The state’s environmental regulator said people with respiratory illnesses, children and the elderly in areas where smoke drifted were advised to stay indoors.
This article first appeared in The Texas Tribune.
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