x
Breaking News
More () »

Crews monitoring the McDannald Fire north of the Davis Mountain Resort

Around 22,053 acres burned with 15% of it currently contained. Although officials were expecting a very hot day on Wednesday, it didn't stop the fire from spreading.
(Source: KWES)

FORT DAVIS, TX (KWES) - We're learning details on the McDannald Fire in Jeff Davis County.

Fire crews got the call around 3:30 Monday morning. Firefighters said it started from a lighting strike but that fire still continues to burn.

Around 22,053 acres burned with 15% of it currently contained. Although officials were expecting a very hot day on Wednesday, it didn't stop the fire from spreading.

Toward the Ft. Davis mountains on Highway 166 and 505, smoke smoldered n the distance. In between, the West Texas winds made those hot spots easier to burn but longer to put out.

"This is a very steep rugged country, a lot of it we can't access or even by foot," said Jeff Meiner with the Texas A&M Forest Service. "It's hard to get up there."

The Davis Mountain Resort and the Crows Nest area became areas of concern for the multiple agencies. Trucks monitored the fire and provided structure protection for nearby homes. Several homes were threatened and an evacuation was issued but was later cancelled since fire activity was low.

"The fire is moving more into the Davis Mountain Texas Nature Conservancy, also threatened is the Davis Mountain Resort, they have ongoing evacuations in that area," said Meiner.

Officials said they were expecting strong winds but due to cloud coverage, it kept temperatures down which led to them not having a lot of fire spreading or a lot of erratic fire behavior.

Some of the firefighters are camping at Bloys Camp right off 166 and are working throughout the night. The fire on the east side is no longer burning and there hasn't been any structural damage or injuries at this time. However, the fire did move up north of the Davis Mountain Resort.

A second fire started from the spark of a train off 505 and 90, about 10 miles from Valentine. Officials said it was 400 acres long and firefighters had to quickly contain the fire to continue providing resources to the McDannald Fire.

Before You Leave, Check This Out