Eastland wildfires bring the smell of smoke into Houston

Smoke from wildfires near Abilene is blowing in to Houston, causing the smell wafting over the city Friday, weather officials said.

Gusts from the northwest chasing out this week’s cold front are driving in smoke from fires in Eastland County, where a number of wildfires are causing massive damage over 62 miles.

Smoke from #EastlandComplex to the SW of Fort Worth has been brought across SE TX on NW winds overnight. You will likely smell smoke off and on today and notice a Smokey look to the sky. Fire is 40,000 acres and not contained #houwx #txwx

— Jeff Lindner (@JeffLindner1) March 18, 2022

This is a developing story and will be updated. More info from the AP below:

EASTLAND, Texas (AP) — Low humidity and gusty winds are fueling multiple wildfires in Texas, burning homes and other structures and prompting evacuations of small communities. Several wildfires merged to form what fire officials call a “complex” that’s burning near Eastland, about 120 miles west of Dallas. The fire as of Friday morning had burned about 62.5 square miles. It was only 2% contained and fires were burning in thick brush and grass fields. A nursing home in Rising Star was evacuated. And a church and several downtown buildings burned Thursday in the small town of Ranger. A fire official says the fire in Ranger may have started from a barbecue pit. There are no reports of injuries.