Current situation:
· Yesterday Texas Forest Service responded to 24 new fires for 100 acres.
· In the past seven days Texas Forest Service has responded to 181 fires for 166,475 acres.
· Initial attack activity was light yesterday, giving firefighters an opportunity to make good progress on several large fires.
· Four military C-130 aircraft are in place this morning at Austin-Bergstrom Airport. These large airtankers can deliver more than 3,000 gallons per load.
· 250 of the 254 Texas counties are reporting burn bans.
· Daily detailed fire information can be found here or at inciweb.org.
New large fires from yesterday (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels; or where homes were lost):
None.
Uncontained fires from previous days (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels):
BASTROP COUNTY COMPLEX, Bastrop County. 34,068 acres, 50 percent contained. Forward progression of the fire has stopped. Crews and equipment continue to protect homes within the perimeter. There is no fire burning outside the main containment lines. The 719-acre Union Chapel Fire is now included in this complex and is being managed by the Southern Area Type I Incident Management Team. An assessment team has confirmed 1,386 homes have been destroyed on the main fire, with 28 lost on the Union Chapel Fire. Two civilians were found dead Tuesday as search crews went through the charred subdivisions.
BEAR CREEK (#536), Cass County. 49,997 acres, 80 percent contained. The fire is burning very actively in heavy timber and is threatening numerous houses. Scoopers, heavy airtankers, and Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System engines are assisting. Twenty-four homes have been destroyed just southeast of Linden. A Type 1 Incident Management Team is assisting with management of the fire.
RILEY ROAD, Grimes/Montgomery/Waller counties. 21,269 acres, 50 percent contained. Active fire behavior was observed yesterday as the fire continued to move south. The DC-10 airtanker continued to drop retardant on the fire yesterday. Approximately 59 homes have been destroyed on this fire burning just west of Magnolia.
DIANA (#545), Upshur County. 809 acres, 75 percent contained. The fire is burning in grass and timber. Twenty homes are threatened. There was a catch out yesterday.
BONBIEW RANCH, Van Zandt County. 350 acres, 80 percent contained. Twenty homes were saved southeast of Canton. No new information was received.
BOOT WALKER (#553), Marion County. 1,047 acres, 80 percent contained. A wind shift to the south could threaten 30 homes. Access to the fire is limited.
ARBOR, Houston County. 3,000 acres, 90 percent contained. The fire is burning in timber. Up to 15 homes are reported lost.
OLD MAGNOLIA, Gregg County. 3,341 acres, 80 percent contained. Several structures and a gas plant are threatened. The fire is burning in pine plantation.
101 RANCH, Palo Pinto County. 6,555 acres, 85 percent contained. The fire is burning on the south side of Possum Kingdom Lake near the town of Brad. Thirty-nine homes and nine RVs have been reported destroyed. Crews continue to mop up and aircraft are monitoring.
Weather Outlook:
A surface ridge of dry high pressure will maintain a dry air mass over the Lone Star State into early in the week as it gradually begins to shift on off to the east of the area. Winds across the panhandle and deep south Texas south of Interstate 10 will have a southerly component today. Even as dew points begin to increase in some areas, warmer temperatures will lead to continued low relative humidity. Among the driest locations in the state today will be those near the Interstate 35 corridor and east, where winds could be around 10 mph sustained for a brief period in the afternoon to early evening. Wind gusts approaching 15 mph are possible in this area.
High temperatures will continue on a warming trend ranging from the mid-80s to upper 90s in most places. However, high temperatures will exceed 100 over some parts of South Texas.Poor overnight recoveries will continue for areas away from the coast, especially locations west of Interstate 35. Very dry conditions again today. Light and variable winds in the morning becoming northwesterly 6-8 mph gusts to 10-15 mph. the sea breeze should move into the areas south of a Woodville to Conroe line late in the afternoon. Afternoon humidity falling to 11-16 percent except south of the sea breeze where relative humidity will only fall to around 35 percent. Skies will be mostly sunny throughout the day in the north and will become partly cloudy after 10 a.m. in the south. Afternoon highs 92-101. Moderate overnight recoveries of 55-65 percent north and 75-95 percent in the south.
