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Area firefighters battle huge wildfire south of Bowie

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Fire units from across the area converged on Fruitland Road at Highway 101 to battle this huge grass fire. (Photos by Barbara Green)

According to the Montague Emergency Communications team, Bowie Rural VFD, Sunset and Bowie VFDs responded to a fire in the 2500 block of Fruitland Road near the intersection with Highway 101 sometime after 2 p.m. About 2:45 p.m. deputies with the Montague Sheriff’s office began contacting residents in this area urging them to evacuate. At 3:06 p.m. the deputies asks all residents on Fruitland Road between Smyna and Brushy to evacuate immediately.

At 3:45 p.m. the team reported the fire was moving toward Cole Road and possibly toward Smyrna and Brushy Road. Evacuations of Cole, Smyrna to Brushy Roads continue.

At 4:15 p.m. Cole Road was closed at Brushy. At 4:30 p.m. additional evacuations began from Brushy at Cole to Orchard Road. This area should be avoid due to not only the fire but all the emergency personnel in this area.

UPDATE

5:12 PM Update

Gina McDaniel

For anyone displaced by the fire, we have cabins with beds, restrooms and showers available at Charis Hills Camp in Sunset. please ask them to call Molly at 940-366-3902

5:09 PM Update

First Baptist Church of Sunset 407 Spur 511, Sunset, has also opened a shelter.

5:49pm Update

At this time, forward progress has been impeded but there is still 0% containment. We have been advised that the wind will be shifting around 10pm this evening. PLEASE, if you are in the area, be prepared to evacuate.

4:53 pm Update

Brushy Road has been shut down at 1341 Brushy through to Smyrna Road. There are more reports of vehicles blocking access by fire response. PLEASE GET OUT OF THE AREA!

4:50pm Update

A shelter has been set up in the Bowie Intermediate School gymnasium. You can go into the back entrance to the gym on the Williams Street side.

4:30pm Update

Evacuations have started from Brushy Road at Cole Road North to Orchard Road. Please heed the evacuation warnings and avoid the area.

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NEWS

BISD trustees meet on Oct. 19

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Trustees of the Bowie Independent School District will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the board room.
The meeting opens with several recognitions including teacher April Word and her theater students, junior high cross country girls, district champs and BJH boys runner-up.
Superintendent Donna Hale will report on attendance and enrollment, the intruder detection audit results, Jack County Appraisal District 2027 final budget allocation and monthly operational report.
Director of Student Service Jason Childress will offer the annual emergent bilingual report, followed by monthly reports from administrators.
In action items, a memo of understanding with the City of Bowie for use of the community center as a reunification location during emergencies will be reviewed. An emergency transportation agreement with Advanced Rehabilitation and Healthcare of Bowie also will be considered along with the 2026 tax roll totals.
An executive session also is scheduled.

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NEWS

Data shows tornado alley is moving eastward

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It appears tornado activity is shifting heightening risks in the south.
According to the United States Census Bureau 2025 was one of the nation’s most active tornado seasons on record, with approximately 1,559 tornadoes — 27% higher than the 30-year average from 1991–2020, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The number of tornadoes not only grew but shifted eastward during that period: tornado activity decreased in the west by 25% and increased in the east by 12%. This shift is especially concerning because tornadoes are now increasingly affecting southern states with a large concentration of mobile home communities.
The National Weather Service reports mobile home residents are 15 to 20 times more likely to be killed in a tornado than those living in site-built housing.
Tornado activity isn’t only shifting eastward – it’s breaking out of the traditional late-spring-into-summer season, now stretching into winter and early spring. Between 1950 and 2009, tornado activity was strongly concentrated in the spring months, when nearly two‑thirds of all tornadoes occurred between April and June.
From 2010 to 2025, tornado activity expanded, with higher tornado counts in January through April, and notable increases in October and December (Figure 2).
Summertime tornado activity dropped compared to 1950-2009. The tornado season now begins earlier, ramps up more gradually, and extends later into the year.
This growing threat of near year-round tornadoes is most pronounced in the South, particularly the Gulf Coast states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, where moisture-rich air creates an uninterrupted, seven-month tornado season in the cooler months.
Read more on this data and risks to certain communities at census.gov/ccontent/dam/Census/library/stories/2026/10/tornado alley.

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County grand jury returns 38 cases

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The Montague County Grand Jury reviewed a total of 38 cases during its September session that included two no bills, nine indictments that remain sealed awaiting the arrest of a suspect.
The no bills indicate the grand jurors did not believe the case supported the charge. The cases were for evading arrest with a vehicle and possession of a controlled substance 1-4 grams.
The sealed cases cover a large gambit of charges including arson of a habitation/place of worship, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, indecency with a child sexual contact, cruelty non-livestock animals: kill/poison/serious bodily injury; injury to a child/elderly/disabled person with serious bodily injury mental, abandon/endanger a child criminal negligence, and sexual assault of a child.

Read the full story in your Thursday Bowie News.

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