The fire began Tuesday afternoon, during a week of dry, windy and hazardous conditions across South-Central Texas.
SAN ANTONIO — Crews in the Texas Hill Country continued working to gain control of a wildfire that’s burned 1,160 acres in Gillespie County as of early Wednesday afternoon.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has dubbed the emergency the Nebo Mountain Fire and says it’s 80% contained as of 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, meaning 80% of the fire’s perimeter is clear of materials that would encourage its spread.
Fredericksburg Fire EMS shared video of a plane dropping retardant amid ongoing firefighting efforts, which got underway when the fire sparked Tuesday afternoon in northeastern Gillespie County. The agency said Wednesday morning that the fire has not forced evacuations so far as about 100 personnel work to contain the flames.
Gillespie County officials have issued a disaster declaration amid the fire.
The flames are burning an area between Exxon and Legion Creek roads, according to authorities. Residents are being asked to avoid the Exxon Road/Hohmann Road area for now.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this point. But it started on another week of dry, windy and unusually warm February conditions in South Texas. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning for Gillespie County and other Hill Country communities for Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., citing “critical fire weather conditions.”
In neighboring Llano County, are also working to contain the Granite Valley Fire, which has burned at least 169 acres and is 90% contained. Multiple smaller fires continue to burn further south, near Corpus Christi and McAllen, as well as in the northeastern regions of Texas.