FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — Officials are continuing to battle wildfires across the state as extremely dry air and gusty winds bring extreme fire danger.
About 10 fires continued to burn in Texas on Monday as officials geared up for more high winds Tuesday, said Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Erin O'Connor.
Although most of the fires have been contained due to slower winds Sunday, Texas officials were expecting wildfire danger to ramp up further into the week, O'Connor said.
The Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County, located near Fredericksburg, has burned over 9,858 acres and is 85% contained as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Both aircraft and ground crews were deployed to contain the fire and wrap the perimeter.
A temporary flight restriction is active above the Crabapple Fire to allow firefighting aircraft to operate safely.
Another smaller fire in Gillespie County sparked on Monday afternoon, the Dunderstadt Fire, but it was quickly stopped. It currently has burned 50 acres and is 90% contained.
The Windmill Fire in Roberts County, located in the northern part of the Texas Panhandle, has burned over 23,147 acres and is 90% contained as of 7 a.m. on Tuesday.
The containment percentage went down from 95% due to a "slop over" on the north side of the fire Monday evening, but firefighters were able to quickly stop the spread.
Another fire also sparked in the Panhandle on Friday. The Rest Area Fire is in Gray County, just east of Amarillo, and is estimated to have burned over 7,931 acres and is 100% contained as of Sunday evening.
Amarillo Mayor Cole Stanley declared a local state of disaster due to the severe weather, fires and public safety power shutoffs. The declaration stays in effect for seven days, unless it is extended by the Amarillo City Council.
"This declaration is an important step in ensuring Amarillo has the support and flexibility needed to respond to ongoing emergency conditions. Please continue to follow official updates and stay weather aware," a post on Facebook said.
Some smaller fires have sparked across the state but have been mostly contained as high winds and dry weather created what the National Weather Service has called “near historic” conditions for wildfires.
More than half of Texas’ 245 counties had burn bans in place because of the dangerous fire conditions. The weather service in Lubbock posted a video Friday morning on X of wind whipping thick dust across the road as one of its employees drove to work.
“This is likely to be the worst dust storm so far this year,” said Randall Hergert, a lead forecaster with the weather service in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
While the winds eventually died down over the weekend, authorities warned that Tuesday would bring a renewed risk of fire to an area spanning from western Oklahoma through the Texas Panhandle and into southeastern New Mexico.
These most recent wildfires come just a little over a year after the largest wildfire in Texas history — the Smokehouse Creek Fire — sparked in the Panhandle and burned over 1 million acres starting Feb. 26, 2024. The cause of the fire was a decaying power pole, which snapped and burnt the dry grass around it.
The Windmill Fire is in the same area as the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had approved the state's request for grants for both the Rest Area Fire and Crabapple Fire.
“Texas is working around the clock to provide all necessary resources to local officials fighting wildfires in Gray and Gillespie counties,” said Abbott in a news release. “With the approval of these Fire Management Assistance grants, we will continue to support our brave firefighters as they battle these dangerous blazes. The safety and well-being of Texans is our No. 1 priority, and we will work tirelessly to ensure impacted communities get the assistance they need. I thank our first responders and brave firefighters for their work to protect their fellow Texans.”
The FEMA grants will provide up to 75% reimbursement for costs associated with fighting the two fires.
For updated information on the wildfires across the state, head to the Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Viewer.