Massive wildfire breaks out in Walker County, Texas - with THOUSANDS urged to evacuate their homes (north of Houston)

Daily Mail ^ | 9/01/23 | Joe Hutchison

[Libloather]

Officials in Texas are urging residents to flee their homes after a massive wildfire broke out north of Houston.

According to the Walker County Office of Emergency Management, a major fire erupted Friday afternoon in a wooded area along Lost Indian Camp Road.

The latest update from officials said that the fire had stretched to encompass 100 acres and had been contained by five percent.

Just hours previously, the fire was estimated to be spread out across 500 acres, which has prompted officials to ask those living in the area to flee.

The latest update from the Texas Forest Service said: 'The fire in Walker County is an estimated 1,000 acres and 5% contained.

'Fire behavior is high to extreme. Aviation resources are assisting ground crews with cooling the fire and slowing spread. Dozers work to build containment line.'

In a notice shared on social media the Walker County Office of Emergency Management said: 'Major fire on Lost Indian Camp Road off FM247.

'FM247 is closed both lanes from Pinedale to FM2989. Evacuation recommended everything within 3 miles of Lost Indian Camp Road. Air attack is dropping water.

ABC reported that authorities have now closed a six and a half mile stretch of the FM.

It remains unclear at this time as to what caused the fire, and if anybody had been injured.

According to a statement issued by Governor Greg Abbott, the state is currently experiencing triple-digit temperatures, with more than 98 percent of the state experiencing drought.

Neighbors also told Fox26 that homes have been burned and that livestock has been evacuated from the area.

Images and video shared on social media show thick dark plumes of smoke leeching up into the air as the fire burns.

Footage taken from the air shows just how large the wildfire...

[metmom]

This goes way back, when I was a teen..

We were driving from Buffalo to Albuquerque and I remember staying in Springfield MO. So we must have driven through the panhandle. It’s the most direct route and that is the only one my parents would have taken.

[mabarker1]

That explains the terrain then. Y’All should have taken the scenic route via Texarkanna to El Paso🤠

https://www.distance-cities.com/distance-texarkana-tx-to-el-paso-tx

[metmom]

After 4 days of sitting in a car, we were more than ready to GET THERE.

Not another 5 minutes more than we had to.

Maybe some day.....I have good friends who live in Houston.

[rey]

Sorry you went through that. It’s a tough deal.

That’s another hazard I’d forgotten. Falling into one of those underground fires is a bad deal, to say the least. The ground on top seems fine and suddenly you are up to your waste in hot coals.

It’s great you are chipping and creating defensible space. It’s the primary reason we survived our fire. However, we had 80 MPH winds and the stuff we chipped in place away from the structures was lighting off and flying by like tracer rounds. The road on the other part of the ranch they had coated with chips burned for a week, despite my efforts.

Chips are great in that you have rearranged the fuel, but depending where they end up, they can be a problem though far less of a problem than standing material. Good work.

It’s funny how an experience like yours changes your perspective, isn’t it? If you are anything like me, you now look at structures and almost immediately assess their survivability or defensibleness against fire. I look at certain neighborhoods in fear and certain roadways as scary or impossible passages were there a fire.

Glad you are well and pray you are never tested like that again.

Thanks for your story.

[pfflier]

Have you ever stood in the middle of 100 acres ?...So think about standing in one of those places and then surrounding yourself with fire.

The short answer is yes and yes...

Yes, I have stood in the middle of Oklahoma while growing up, way more than 100 acres. We did it while chasing storms while I was at OU in 1971, way before it became trendy.

Yes we evacuated Harbison Canyon during the Cedar fire in San Diego and drove through flames, embers and smoke. We watched people with livestock trailers drive through fences to get to I-8 because the exits were jammed. It was one of the biggest wildfires there. We lost our place in that fire.