UPDATE 09/07/11--According to The Texas Forest Service, the Bear Creek Fire is currently 30,000 acres.
UPDATE 09/6/11 5:38pm: The Texas Forest Service says they are working 12 major (100+ Acres) fires, a total of 28,000 acres.
The largest fire is the Bear Creek fire, estimated at approximately 20,000 acres, based on satellite imagery.
Resources from the Texas National Guard, and Texarkana fire departments are rendering aid.
Air and ground resources are working the fire now.
Marion County Sheriff's Office is conducting evacuations on the east side of the fire, along Hwy 59, and on the south side of Hwy 49.
UPDATE 09/06/11 3:40pm: The fire has jumped Hwy 49, and is heading further into Marion County.
So far, about 200 people have been evacuated from the area.
Authorities are in the process of blocking off Hwy 49.
The containment of the fire is unknown at this time.
Cass/Marion Counties fire, also known as the Bear Creek Fire, has burned 15,000 acres at this time. Firefighters have not yet contained this fire. We are being told that the smoke that hovering over all of E. Texas is from this massive wildfire.
CASS COUNTY/LINDEN FIRE. Cass County Judge Charles McMichael has ordered a mandatory evacuation for several areas of the county being threatened by a wildfire that's burned up to 3,000 acres of land near Avinger and Linden. The evacuations for now are along County Roads 1617, 1601, and the area from CR 1619 south to Hwy. 59 and over to State Hwy. 155. Homes along CR 1625 between Linden and Avinger have also been evacuated, but so far there's no word on any structures damaged by fire. As of now, County Roads 1526, 1627, 1625, and 1628 are closed due to excessive smoke.
Here's the latest from the Texas Forest Service and other agencies on the recent fire dangers within E. TX and in other parts of the state:
Bowie County. Sheriff's Office confirms crews are battling a wildfire on FM 1398 about a mile north of I-30 in Leary, TX. There's no word on any evacuations or property damage.
Marion County. One home has been destroyed by a fire somewhere within the county with many others threatened, according to the Sheriff's Office.
MOORE, Smith County. 927 acres, 5 percent contained. Ten homes were evacuated and five were lost on this fire burning on the Smith/Gregg County line. A 20-year-old woman and her 18-month old toddler were killed during the fire.
#545, Upshur County. 500 acres, 50 percent contained. One hundred homes were saved; none lost. The fire is burning East of Gilmer.
CLEMANIS, Upshur County. 400 acres, 85 percent contained. Twenty homes were saved.
#543, Gregg County. 300 acres, unknown containment. Numerous homes were saved, none lost.
#538, Harrison County. 200 acres, contained. One hundred fifty homes were evacuated in a trailer park east of Longview.
#502, Nacogdoches County. 200 acres, unknown containment. More than a dozen homes have been evacuated, but none lost.
OLD MAGNOLIA, Gregg County. 100 acres, unknown containment. No homes threatened. Two fuel tanks exploded.
· Texas Forest Service responded yesterday to 63 new fires that burned 32,936 acres, including 22 new large fires.
· Strong winds and low relative humidity from Tropical Storm Lee caused numerous wildfires to spread rapidly yesterday. Additional National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) strike teams, as well as a heavy airtanker from South Dakota were mobilized Sunday to assist with the large number of fires. Weather conditions are expected to reach critical levels again today.
· Texas Forest Service has dozens of aircraft ready to respond this morning, including four heavy airtankers, 15 single-engine airtankers, 12 helicopters, and 13 aerial supervision aircraft. A Type 1 incident management team has been requested to assist with the Bastrop County Complex.
Copyright 2011 KSLA-TV. All rights reserved.
UPDATE Tuesday 11:49 AM:
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and KLTV, a Raycom Media Station.
