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- Residents begin going through the rubble after tornadoes hammer parts of Nebraska and Iowa
- Midwest tornadoes flatten homes in Nebraska suburbs and leave trails of damage in Iowa
Hazy conditions, smell of smoke across Houston due to Texas wildfires
While tens of thousands of acres are burning in multiple Texas counties, the winds have blown the smoke into our region.
HOUSTON — As tens of thousands of acres burn in multiple Texas locations, the smoke from those wildfires has moved into the Houston area, and that’s causing hazy conditions and a burning odor throughout the region, KHOU 11 Meteorologist Kim Castro said.
Winds overnight shifted out of the northwest, bringing the thick air from just under a dozen fires that are burning across the state.
The largest of those fires in Eastland County, approximately 85 miles west of Fort Worth, has burned approximately 33,000 acres, according to the Texas Wildfire Incident Response System.
That fire consumed multiple structures in Ranger, Texas, overnight, including the police department building and a 100-year-old church there.
RELATED: Fire engulfs small Texas city of Ranger in separate blaze from sprawling Eastland County grass fire
Winds Friday morning were out of the northwest and were blowing into the Houston area at around 15 mph.
Air quality readings across the city were moderate Friday morning, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, but one monitoring station at Hempstead showed unhealthy levels.
Conditions were impacting some aviation operations in the region, though no commercial delays were reported at Bush or Hobby airports.
Winds were expected to continue blowing out of the northwest throughout the day on Friday, with forecast wind speeds from 12 to 18 mph across the region.
While the smoke blew into Houston, firefighters from our area were on the ground in West Texas to help with containment efforts, including a crew from Spring.
The orange sky was the subject of countless social media posts as the sun climbed higher Friday morning, and the smell was a hot topic among emergency dispatchers.
“We have received a number of reports of a burning smell,” Sugar Land authorities tweeted. “Fire-EMS has found nothing in Sugar Land contributing to the smell. Reports of a burning smell are occurring throughout the Houston region.”
What are you seeing where you are now? Use the Near Me feature in the KHOU 11 app to share your videos and photos of the hazy conditions in your area.