Texas Eastland County Wildfires March 18, 2022 - Live and ...

Texas Eastland County Wildfires
                                March 18, 2022

Texas Governor Greg Abbott
1100 San Jacinto Blvd
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-2000
https://gov.texas.gov
https://www.facebook.com/TexasGovernor

Latest Executive Order issued on 3/16/2022

Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management
(TDEM) to activate additional state resources as escalated fire weather conditions
continue to impact the state this week. In addition, the Texas State Emergency
Operations Center (SOC) is increasing readiness to Level II: Escalated Response for
Critical Fire Weather Conditions. Representatives from key state agencies belonging to
the Emergency Management Council will report to the SOC beginning Thursday, March
17 at 7:00 AM CT to assist in the state's response to fire weather conditions.
The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows elevated to critical risk of
wildfire conditions in areas west of Interstate 35 over the next several days, due to high
winds and low relative humidity. The Texas A&M Forest Service anticipates the greatest
impacts are expected in the Big Country, Permian Basin, Texoma, West Texas, Hill
Country, and border regions.
"The State of Texas is elevating its response and increasing resources to address any
potential wildfire activity," said Governor Abbott. "We thank our firefighters and
emergency response personnel who are working around the clock to protect our
communities. Texans are encouraged to remain weather-aware and practice wildfire
safety diligently through the rest of the week to keep their communities safe."
Personnel from the following state agencies have been requested to report to the SOC:

   •   Texas A&M Forest Service
   •   Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
   •   Texas Department of Public Safety
   •   Texas Department of State Health Services
   •   Texas Department of Transportation
   •   Texas Military Department
   •   Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
   •   Public Utility Commission of Texas
   •   Railroad Commission of Texas

The following additional resources have been activated:

   •   Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS): Four firefighting strike teams from the
       Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS), including 100 firefighters and
       20 fire engines

•   Texas Military Department (TMD): Six helicopters with firefighting capability
   •   Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD): Two firefighting brush trucks
   •   Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (TX EMTF): Two paramedic/advanced
       life-support Wildland Fire Support Packages

This brings the activated TIFMAS resources to 10 strike teams including approximately
250 firefighters and 50 fire engines.
Texans in the areas of concern are encouraged to create an evacuation plan, heed the
guidance of local officials, and create an emergency kit that includes supplies such as
food and water, important documents, necessary prescriptions, and other personal
items.
The newly-activated assets are mobilizing in addition to state resources that were
rostered earlier in the week by the Texas A&M Forest Service, including:

   •   Six TIFMAS strike teams comprised of approximately 150 firefighters and 30 fire
       engines
   •   Fully-staffed task forces located across the state with additional personnel and
       equipment for support
   •   Strategically-placed fireline supervisors, command staff, and incident
       commanders with advanced qualifications
   •   Aviation resources including: two large airtankers, 12 single engine air tankers,
       four air attack platforms, three type 1 helicopters, two type 3 helicopters, and one
       aerial supervision module

Two TX EMTF Wildland Fire Support Packages and two Rapid Extraction Modules
(REMs) remain on standby to be deployed if necessary.
Texans can visit tfsweb.tamu.edu and ready.gov/wildfires to access wildfire resources
and safety tips.

Texas Division of Emergency Management
1033 La Posada Dr
Austin, TX 78752
(512) 424-2209
https://www.tdem.texas.gov
https://www.facebook.com/TxDEM
https://twitter.com/TDEM?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Ea
uthor

Wildfire Update – March 18, 2022 5:15 am

Texas A&M Forest Service and Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS)
firefighters worked alongside local responding agencies overnight on several wildfires
that ignited yesterday.

Strong winds and critically dry grasses contributed to extreme fire behavior and rapid
rates of spread across the landscape. Fire crews continued to focus on life safety and
structure protection as well as constructing containment lines where possible.

Active Fires:

- Eastland Complex, Eastland County - est. 39,883 acres, 2% contained

- Chico Lane Fire, Reagan County - est. 8,000 acres, 80% contained

- Edmunson Fire, Sterling County - est. 3,878 acres, 75% contained

- Hollywood Fire, Randall County - 166 acres, 90% contained

- Crews Gap Fire, Runnels County - est. 7,500 acres, 80% contained

- Burr Fire, Maverick County - est. 3,500 acres, 95% contained

Contained Fires (100%):

- Wells Fire, Archer County - 98 acres

- Los Olmos Fire, Kleberg County - 99 acres

- 3 Oaks Fire, Mills County - 3,512 acres

To view the Texas A&M Forest Service statewide active fire response map, navigate to
https://public.tfswildfires.com.

For frequent incident updates, visit https://twitter.com/AllHazardsTFS.

The above information, and information on our Twitter page, reflects fires to which
Texas A&M Forest Service is responding.

  Fire shows at night on the Eastland Complex in Eastland County on March 17, 2022.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Whelan/TAMFS.

American Red Cross North Texas Region
901 Avenue B
Brownwood, TX 76801
(325) 646-0196
https://www.redcross.org/local/texas/north-texas/about-us/locations/big-country.html
https://www.facebook.com/redcross
https://twitter.com/redcross

       Open Shelters:

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-
shelter.html

Texas Department of Transportation
124 FM 876
Waxahachie, TX 75467
(972) 938-2960
https://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/district/dallas.html
https://www.facebook.com/TxDOT
https://twitter.com/TxDOT

As of March 17th, 2002
Eastland Co. Traffic Alert: Motorists are advised to avoid and the area of Carbon to Gorman
to Lake Leon to allow access for emergency responders to fight the wildfire as well as
provide aid to anyone needing to evacuate.
For information about current road conditions and closures, please visit:
https://drivetexas.org

United Way/211 Information and Referrals Lines
These information and referral lines may know of additional resources currently
providing assistance, such as food pantries, clothing closets, emergency shelters, and
agencies offering financial assistance. Please call and provide your zip code and
demographic information in order to receive referrals.

211 Texas
Dial 211 or (877) 541-7905
https://www.211texas.org
https://www.facebook.com/pg/211TexasACallForHelp

NATIONAL RESOURCES:

FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY (FEMA)
500 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20472
(800) 621-3362
http://www.fema.gov
Please visit the website and click on “Disaster Declarations”. If a disaster is declared,
please call to apply for assistance by phone, or visit http://www.fema.gov/apply-
assistance to apply online.

DISASTERASSISTANCE.GOV
https://www.disasterassistance.gov

Offers information about local resources for disasters, including: FEMA Disaster
Recovery Centers (DRCs), Red Cross, food, shelter, state emergency management
agencies, and hospital locators.
To determine if individual disaster assistance is available through FEMA, please visit
the website and enter the address.
To locate your local state emergency management agency for disaster information and
updates, please visit http://www.fema.gov/emergency-management-agencies

AMERICAN RED CROSS NATIONAL
National Headquarters
2025 East Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 303-4498 or (800) 733-2767
http://www.redcross.org
Please call or visit the website to locate your local chapter and open shelters.

AMERICAN RED CROSS SAFE AND WELL LIST
https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php
Residents affected can notify their friends and family that they are safe by visiting the
website and selecting “List Myself as Safe and Well.” Individuals can also search for
loved ones by selecting “Search Registrants.”

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
Weather alerts by state are available at http://www.weather.gov/alerts.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL
Local forecasts and severe weather alerts, available at http://www.weather.com.

NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND ROAD CLOSURE INFORMATION
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/trafficinfo

SAFE TRAVEL USA
http://www.safetravelusa.com

Free Help Line:

Optum, a leading health and behavioral health services company, is offering a free
emotional-support help line.

The toll-free number, 866-447-3573, will be open Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm CST. The
service is free of charge and open to anyone. Specially trained Optum mental health
specialists help people manage their stress and anxiety so they can continue to address
their everyday needs. Callers may also receive referrals to community resources to help
them with specific concerns, including financial and legal matters.

Along with the toll-free help line, emotional-support resources and information are
available online at https://www.liveandworkwell.com.