NEWS
Fruitland fire burns 230 acres; no inhabited homes destroyed, 10 structures burned
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/fruitland-fire-with-flame-bowie-rural-scaled.jpg)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
It was a brutal afternoon of firefighting last Friday as a fire that began near State Highway 101 and Fruitland Road swept across 230 acres threatening homes and burning many other structures.
Bowie and Sunset firefighters were called out to a fire reported in the 2500 block of Fruitland Road near the intersection of Fruitland and Hwy. 101 shortly before 2:30 p.m. Sheriff Marshall Thomas said it was his understanding the fire may have started where a welder was working on a front entry of a property in this area.
The sheriff and Chief Deputy Jack Lawson responded to the call for assistance and asked for other law enforcement to send officers if they were available. The sheriff’s deputies were attending a training on this afternoon and were out of pocket.
Thomas said Bowie Police and Department of Public Safety provided officers, the constables and game warden also helped.
Shortly before 3 p.m. officers began contacting area residents and encouraging them to evacuate. The specific directive came for all residents on Fruitland between Smyrna and Farm-to-Market Road 3043 (Brushy).
As the fire moved toward Brushy winds from the west and southwest were blowing toward the northeast leading to an evacuation notice to those on Orchard and Cole, which was closed at one point.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Fruitland-fire-saturday-morning-1024x768.jpg)
NEWS
First concrete poured on Nelson Street
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/concrete-on-nelson-by-brent-scaled.jpg)
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/concrete-2-by-b-s-768x1024.jpg)
Concrete was poured on Nelson Street this week as the massive drainage project underway for almost nine months is getting near its end. Traffic will see a big relief once Nelson reopens, it was closed on Aug. 21, 2022 once a large section of the street on the north side collapsed following years of flooding and lack of drainage. (Courtesy photos Brent Shaw)
NEWS
Bowie raising electric rates .0111 cents to recover costs
![](https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/elec-power-1.jpg)
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
Bowie City Councilors reluctantly approved an increase of .0111 cents in the city’s electric rates in an effort to recover the ongoing increases in wholesale power costs.
The increase will go into effect in the July 15 billing cycle and residential customers can expect an increase of just under $9 a month. The average residential use is 800 kilowatt hours a month and this new rate would add $8.88 to the monthly bill.
The power cost recovery factory has been in debate by the council since earlier in February when City Manager Bert Cunningham recommended the increase, but then council said no.
Bowie’s power rates are set up in two categories: Base rates and power cost recovery. Base rates, customer charges and energy charges are intended to recover costs to the utility related to operating an maintaining the system (profit).
The PCRF is the variable portion of wholesale power costs and changes as needed based on factors in the wholesale market, including, but not limited to increases or decreases in the cost of natural gas, the fuel that generates most of the electricity in Texas. The PCRF is intended to recover wholesale costs of resale power.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
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