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Evacuations ordered in West Texas counties because of wildfires
Evacuations have been ordered in Taylor, Eastland and Coleman counties Thursday afternoon.
TEXAS, USA — UPDATE (8:20 p.m. March 17): At 7:44 p.m. the National Weather Service in Abilene and San Angelo lifted the evacuation order in Taylor County, including the City of Abilene.
UPDATE (7:20 p.m. March 17): The Texas Department of Public Safety has requested the closure of State Highway 153 in Runnels County from FM 503 to FM 2132, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.
Traffic will be detoured down FM 503 to US 67 to FM 2132, then back to SH 153 to get around the smoke from wildfires. Crews in Runnels County are manning the closure at FM2132 at the Runnels/Coleman county line.
For the latest in all road conditions including closures, go to drivetexas.org.
ORIGINAL STORY: The National Weather Service in Abilene and San Angelo, as well as other civil authorities have issued evacuation alerts for parts of the Big Country and Concho Valley.
Thursday afternoon, an alert was issued informing residents in Glen Cove to evacuate immediately as a fire was threatening lives and property in the southwest portion of the area, located in western Coleman County. At that time, the fire was moving northeast.
Shortly after 4 p.m. Thursday, the NWS said a large wildfire was moving east towards the town of Barnhart. People in and around the Barnhart area should follow the advice of local authorities. “Do not attempt to fight the fire yourselves,” the post said.
After 5 p.m. Thursday, an alert was issued by the NWS saying a dangerous fire was threatening lives and property in the area between May and Rising Star in Brown and Eastland counties. An evacuation order was put in place for Highway 183 from County Road 495 to County Road 436, east to County Road 135 in Comanche County.
Just after 6 p.m. Thursday, the NWS said a wildfire is threatening lives and property in the northeastern part of Taylor County and affecting a part of the City of Abilene. An evacuation order was placed in effect for an area from south of West Highway 80 to north of Military Drive and west of Arnold Boulevard.
This is a developing story. More information will be posted as it becomes available.