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Mesquite Heat Fire grows to almost 10,000 acres
UPDATE 3:40 P.M. THURSDAY
As of Thursday afternoon, the wildfire had burned 9,613 acres and was 5% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The forest service also released a new map that shows how far the wildfire has expanded to both sides of U.S. Highway 277 and primarily south of Braune Road/Summit Avenue.
An interactive map also is available at https://data.reporternews.com/fires/.
Abilene mayor: Mesquite Heat View destroys 50-60 houses
An estimated 50 to 60 houses have been destroyed in the Mesquite Heat Fire, Abilene Mayor Anthony Williams said Thursday morning in a Facebook live update.
He made the comments after attending a briefing with local, county and state officials, he said.
The wildfire that started Tuesday afternoon southwest of View and tripled in size to 5,000 acres Wednesday evening “certainly exceeded the resources that we have available locally,” Williams said.
The fire jumped U.S. Highway 277 and headed east toward Buffalo Gap, which was evacuated along with other surrounding areas Wednesday afternoon and evening.
The state has sent a Gold Star team that is providing operational support, logistical support and “even finances in helping” fight the Mesquite Heat Fire, Williams said.
Whom to call for nonemergency assistance
UPDATE 11 A.M. THURSDAY
The general public is asked to stay completely away from the Buffalo Gap and View area because of the Mesquite Heat Fire and avoid calling 911 unless it is an emergency.
For information regarding unmet needs or resources, United Way of Abilene urges contacting the following sources:
- Big Country VOAD, Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, at the website unitedwayabilene.org/bigcountryvoad/
- 211. Information is available 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday at 325-673-8211 or at 211; option 1 is available 24 hours.
Unless you are in immediate danger, please direct calls to 211 for information regarding the fire.
Mesquite Heat Fire road closures/evacuations near Buffalo Gap and View
U.S. Highway 277 between View and Coronado’s Camp and Farm to Market 89 from Coronado’s Camp to Buffalo Gap remain closed Thursday morning.
In addition, evacuation orders for the following locations remain in place:
- City of Buffalo Gap.
- Country Place South to Farm to Market 89.
- South of Farm to Market 1235.
- Hillside Road.
- Denton Valley Road. (Note: This may be a typo and referring to Hidden Valley Road)
- Braune Road.
- County Road 297.
- “Anybody in the vicinity of the fire,” the order stated.
The American Red Cross relief command center to assist evacuees and fire victims was moved from View Baptist Church to Beltway Park Church South, 4009 Beltway S, Abilene, TX 79606, Wednesday evening.
The relief center at the church has plenty of food and water to meet evacuee’s immediate needs, said Robyn Flores, executive director of the American Red Cross-Big Country Chapter.
Why Mesquite Heat Fire grew quickly Wednesday
UPDATE 9:25 A.M. THURSDAY
Fire crews had the Mesquite Heat Fire southwest of View contained to about 30% and 1,500 acres through early Wednesday afternoon.
Then the winds shifted.
“Yesterday we were looking fairly well starting off. We got to about 30% containment. We’re still holding 1,500 acres, and then we had a dry line move in from the west, which caused a wind shift,” said Stuart Morris, Forest Service regional wildland urban interface coordinator.
The winds out of the west “led to the sporadic activity” that pushed the wildfire to the east, breaking containment lines and jumping U.S. Highway 277. By Wednesday night, the fire more than tripled to 5,000 acres with 5% containment.
More homes were destroyed when the wildfire moved east quickly, but assessments are ongoing and an exact number is not available, said Robyn Flores, executive director of the American Red Cross-Big Country Chapter.
The Mesquite Heat Fire consumed 10 houses and impacted 20 more southwest of View as of Wednesday morning.
The new activity prompted more evacuations early Wednesday evening around the View area and the closing of a section of U.S. Highway 277 between View and Coronado’s Camp as well as Farm to Market 89 from Coronado’s Camp to Buffalo Gap.
Taylor County Judge Downing Bolls Jr. issued Wednesday night a disaster declaration and mandatory evacuations for the following areas that remained in effect as of Thursday morning:
- City of Buffalo Gap.
- Country Place South to Farm to Market 89.
- South of Farm to Market 1235.
- Hillside Road.
- Denton Valley Road. (Note: This may be a typo and referring to Hidden Valley Road)
- Braune Road.
- County Road 297.
- “Anybody in the vicinity of the fire,” the order stated.
Abilene and the county also activated the Emergency Management Operations Center.
A smoke cloud blew over south Abilene, bringing the smell of burnt mesquite. The cloud could be seen for miles around and as far as Brownwood, according to social media posts.
More resources helping with Mesquite Heat Fire near View and Buffalo Gap
UPDATE 8:45 A.M. THURSDAY
The Mesquite Heat Fire as of Thursday morning remains at 5,000 acres and 5% containment, but those numbers will increase today with better mapping, a Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman said.
“We do have additional resources on scene today,” said Stuart Morris, forest service regional wildland urban interface coordinator.
In additional to several area volunteer fire departments, those added resources include a crew with five engines from the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System, which calls up firefighters from other parts of the state.
“They’re going to be assisting us with structure protection, especially this afternoon, and patrolling the line, trying to get hot spots knocked out so that way hopefully we have less risk of jumping containments,” Morris said.
The fire did not reach Buffalo Gap overnight, Morris said, but the evacuation order for the town and other areas remains in effect Thursday.
The wildfire is burning through rough, hilly terrain with cedar and juniper.
The number of houses and other structures officially remains at 10 Thursday morning, but those numbers will increase as officials conduct new assessments.
Abilene, much of area facing critical fire danger Thursday
UPDATE 7:45 A.M. THURSDAY
Thursday’s weather conditions will further complicate fighting the Mesquite Heat Fire that started near View Tuesday, jumped containment lines Wednesday and moved to the east, forcing more evacuations, including of the town of Buffalo Gap.
The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for much of the area Thursday, especially between the hours of 1 and 8 p.m. Afternoon temperatures will range from 105 to 110 degrees.
In addition, the area will be in critical or near critical fire weather conditions in the afternoon because of low relative humidity and gusty southwest winds, the NWS said.
Much of West Texas and other parts of the state are facing critical fire conditions, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service update at 9 p.m. Wednesday:
“There is potential for large wildfires to occur in the Western/Eastern Hill Country and Rolling Plains through Friday including areas near Childress, Vernon, Abilene, Brownwood, Lampasas, San Angelo, Ozona and Fredericksburg.
“Any new fires in grass and brush vegetation will likely be resistant to control, as underlying drought and critically to extremely dry vegetation combine with 100-degree temperatures and periods of elevated to critical fire weather.
“Several wildfires exhibited extreme fire behavior caused by dry live and dead vegetation, increased wind speeds and triple digit temperatures. Fire crews experienced high resistance to control with active crown fire in juniper and mesquite vegetation, where the fire transitions from the surface to the canopy.”
More:‘It’s devastating’: Mesquite Heat Fire has destroyed at least 10 homes. Here’s what we know.
Map shows Mesquite Heat Fire near View; new evacuations ordered
Here’s a look at fire and smoke levels around Abilene due to the Mesquite Heat Fire. If you can’t see the map below, visit https://data.reporternews.com/fires/.
Jim Ned CISD cancels Thursday classes due to fire
The Jim Ned Consolidated ISD canceled Thursday classes because of the Mesquite Heat Fire in the area to the west and displacing “numerous families.”
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U-Haul offering limited time free storage for Mesquite Heat Fire victims
U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container usage to residents who have been displaced or impacted by the Mesquite Heat Fire near Abilene, according to a news release.
“We want to support this community during a difficult time by providing a secure place for victims to store their belongings at no cost for one month,” said Rusty Freeze, U-Haul Company of West Texas president.
People seeking more information about the U-Haul disaster relief program or needing to arrange 30 days of free self-storage should contact:
- U-Haul Moving & Storage of Abilene, 826 S. Clack St., 325-698-0830
- U-Haul Moving & Storage of San Angelo, 1330 S. Koenigheim St., 325-655-0595
More:Wednesday Update: Disaster declared for Taylor County as View wildfire moves east toward Buffalo Gap
Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.