NEWS
Wildfires burning across Texas panhandle
March 7, 2017 — AMARILLO, Texas — Multiple wildfires are still burning across the Texas Panhandle following yesterday’s elevated fire conditions across the Southern Plains.
Texas A&M Forest Service responded to three large fires for 325,680 acres.
The Dumas Complex Fire, in Potter County near the city of Amarillo, ignited amid humidity values in the single digits and winds gusting in excess of 50 mph. The fire spread rapidly and threatened hundreds of homes. It is currently an estimated 29,197 acres and 75 percent contained.
The Perryton Fire, in Ochiltree, Lipscomb and Hemphill counties is burning in grass and brush and is estimated at more than 315,135 acres. The fire moved rapidly and threatened the towns of Higgins and Glazier. Interagency firefighters were able to protect the towns by diverting the fire away from the communities. Two homes have been reported destroyed.
Texas A&M Forest Service is responding to a request of assistance on wildfire in Gray County named the Lefors East Fire. It is estimated at 92,571 acres and 25 percent contained.
Texas A&M Forest Service and the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center predictive services had forecast extreme fire weather for the northwest half of the Panhandle and critical fire weather west of a line from Childress to Midland.
Winds across the Panhandle should subside for Wednesday, but elevated fire conditions return to the area Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Texas A&M Forest Service is working with Department of Public Safety, local fire departments and other interagency resources. The Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System has been activated sending fire engine strike teams to Amarillo and other staging areas in the Panhandle.
In anticipation of continued windy fronts for at least the remainder of the month, Texas A&M Forest Service is activating the heavy airtanker base in Abilene and anticipates having a 3,000-gallon jet in place by the end of this week.
These types of aircraft can carry up to 3,000 gallons of fire retardant to be dropped in an effort to slow the spread of wildfires. Please remember that drones and other non-incident response aircraft are a safety hazard around wildfires and their presence will result in the grounding of firefighting aircraft. For safety reasons, a temporary flight restriction (TFR) is in place over the wildfires.
Visit http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/CurrentSituation/ or follow @allhazardstfs on twitter for wildfire information in Texas.
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The Montague County Animal Shelter is taking shape with a main kennel almost complete and a portable building place this past week to serve as an office.
It was 10 months ago the county commissioner’s court approved the project using some Senate Bill 22 grant funds in the sheriff’s office and county funds or the project. Sheriff Marshall Thomas included one new deputy position and a pickup for animal control in the grant budget.
The overall project was estimated to run anywhere from $185,000 to $200,000.
There are three animal shelters that operate in Montague County in Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo. Only Bowie is city operates, but all three operate with an active volunteer 501c3 group.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
Pictured – HVAC was installed in the new animal shelter kennel building recently. (Courtesy photo)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
It took members of the Bowie City Council less than 20 minutes to handle their brief agenda of business on Oct. 28.
There were infrastructure project reports, the quarterly hotel/motel tax report and resolutions connected to grant applications.
City Manager Bert Cunningham said he does not anticipate the contractor for the Nelson Street project to complete the remaining work by the Oct. 31 deadline. If that happens, the city will start assessing the $700 per day penalty allowed through the contract.
The nearly $3 million project hit the one-year mark, which also was the approximate completion time pending weather; however, MX Construction of McKinney has delayed completion of several areas and made errors that had to be corrected. The company also requested about one month ago “rain days,” which occurred early in the project.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
After nearly several months of virtually no significant rainfall and a growing drought, Montague County and North Texas finally got some decent rainfall during the weekend and on Monday.
While thunderstorms threatened Saturday heavy thunder and wind did not come until Sunday night. Monday morning there was a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch for the county, and both were cancelled late in the morning.
There was no damage reported to local officials around Montague County, with some reports of low-lying flooding and some downed limbs.
Clay County Judge Mike Campbell reported Sunday “a small, but powerful tornado,” hit an area from Farm-to-Market Road 171 to Carpenter Road near Byers.
Rainfall reports in the county range from eight inches around Nocona and 5 inches in Bowie.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
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