EAST TEXAS – Officials are urging residents in the region to exercise extreme caution, due to critical fire weather conditions.
Texas A&M Forest Service has issued a Level 3 (of a possible 5) Wildfire Preparedness Level at present. The levels are based on planning assumptions and actions dictated by fuel and weather conditions and expected activity, and a Level 3 means that wildfire activity is impacting several regions of the state. This is resulting from a myriad of fire weather conducive events.
In both San Jacinto and Montgomery counties, officials have issued evacuation orders due to the Pauline Road Fire, which is burning in the Sam Houston National Forest, and has, at this time, burned 2,000 acres thus far. Officials stated this morning that it was 20% contained.
Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough issued a declaration of disaster for the county, and urged residents to “please continue to be vigilant.”
The Pauline Road Fire began northwest of FM 1725 and Alsobrooks Road in San Jacinto County, but spread to the Montgomery County line, and according to officials 900 homes are in the evacuation zone. According to the Forest Service, there are currently, statewide, 11 active wildfires. The Pauline Road Fire is one of the largest in scope, however two fires in the Panhandle Plains region, the Windmill Fire in Roberts County and the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County, which are mostly contained at this time, affected more than 30,000 acres, combined.
There are 142 counties in Texas with burn bans in place at present, but so far, only Newton County is the only jurisdiction in the region with one. Tyler County Emergency Management Coordinator John Settlocker said that although Tyler County is not under a burn ban at this time, conditions will remain dangerous for the next few days, and the public needs to refrain from burning due to the wind and low humidity conditions the region is experiencing.
The National Weather Service put out the Red Flag Warning for the region on Thursday morning, from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Those conditions extend to southwest Louisiana, as well, with the very dry air moving into the area on gusty winds behind a cold front, which will produce relative humidity values at around 15% along wind gusts of up to 25 mph during the afternoon. “These conditions will favor the rapid expansion of fires,” according to the alert, and NWS urged anyone in the region to refrain from burning at this time, while conditions are present.
A Red Flag Warning is issued when critical fire weather conditions are present, which are either a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity or warm temperatures.
