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Wildfire north of Huntsville grows to nearly 4,300 acres as containment efforts continue | Evacuations ordered
The Walker County Office of Emergency Management has ordered evacuations for the Cedar Ridge subdivision, Brimberry Road and Branded for Christ Church.
WALKER COUNTY, Texas — The Game Preserve Fire grew to nearly 4,300 acres as of Saturday night as containment efforts north of Huntsville continue, according to the Walker County Office of Emergency Management.
Editorial note: The Walker County OEM on Facebook reported at 2:43 p.m. on Saturday that the fire had grown to 4,300 acres. Around 5 p.m., an official with the Texas A&M Forest Service reported the fire was at around 3,800 acres.
The Walker County Office of Emergency Management has ordered evacuations for the Cedar Ridge subdivision, Brimberry Road and Branded for Christ Church. They said no homes have been lost as of Saturday night.
The OEM said the fire is now 40% contained as crews engage in structure protection and efforts to build a fireline.
The I-45 eastbound frontage road between FM 1696 and FM2989 has been closed. FM 247 is also closed between Pinedale and FM 2989.
Daniel Patterson with the Texas A&M Forest Service said at around 5 p.m. on Saturday the fire was threatening structures, but it’s unclear how many. He said no civilian nor firefighter injuries have been reported.
Patterson asked people to be cautious with anything that could start a fire during the holiday weekend.
Crews were working on Saturday to slow the spread of the fire using back burns and bulldozers.
“This is a common firefighting technique to burn off the vegetation,” Patterson said. “So when the fire comes through, it runs into an area that’s already burned, there’s nothing there to burn.”
An incident management team from Florida is coming to take over the response. Officials said it could take several days to get the fire completely contained.
Friday night, the Walker County Office of Emergency Management recommended evacuations for everyone within three miles of Lost Indian Camp Road due to the large wildfire.
According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the fire started just before 4:30 p.m. Friday. The fire grew from 100 acres to 1,200 acres by Friday night.
This is a developing story that will be updated if/when more information becomes available.