Texas wildfire updates: Latest containment and acreage numbers as fires continue

EASTLAND COUNTY, Texas — Wildfires in Eastland County had burned about 45,000 acres by noon Friday, and none of them had much containment as dry, windy conditions persisted. 

WFAA had crews in Eastland County late into the night and also early Friday morning, as fire crews battled to contain the sprawling fires.

Here are the latest updates:

There were four main fires burning in Eastland County early Friday: Kidd Fire (30,000 acres), Wheatfield Fire (5,000 acres), Oak Mott Fire (4,500 acres) and the Walling Fire (383 acres).

While these fires were in different locations around Eastland County, the Texas A&M Forest Service was referring to the overall incident as the Eastland Complex at a total of about 40,000 acres. 

That total had increased to 45,383 acres by noon, though containment increased from 2% to 4%.

Crews early Friday were focusing on “life safety and structure protection as well as constructing containment lines where possible,” according to an update from the Forest Service.

Watch raw footage of the fires burning in Eastland County on Thursday night:

On Friday morning, crews had requested air support to help fight the fires. Aviation crews were available to help, but high winds were likely to keep them grounded from time to time, according to the Forest Service.

“The aircraft will be beneficial to helping slow the spread of the fire and helping to protect structures while ground crews work to build containment lines around the fires and focus on structure protection,” Forest Service spokesperson Erin O’Connor said in an update Friday morning.

Aviation crews will include three fire boss single-engine tankers, three large air tankers, two helicopters and a chinook.

O’Connor confirmed there were reports of structures being impacted by the fire, though more information was not yet available.

WFAA was able to confirm with residents in the town of Carbon in Eastland County that fires destroyed several homes in that area. 

The Forest Service planned to assess structure damage Friday.

There was no information on any reported injuries as of 6 a.m. Friday.

The Eastland Complex wasn’t the only series of fires burning in Texas on Friday. According to the Forest Service, there were about 10 active fires burning across the state, blowing smoke from Dallas to Houston as strong winds were happening across Texas.

Here’s a map from Inciweb of where each fire is located:

A happy ending

While the fires grew rapidly overnight, there was one bit of good news WFAA reporter Matt Howerton and photojournalist Josh Stephen had to pass along. 

They were covering a fire south of Eastland when they found a stranded dog named Fifty. Fortunately, they were able to get in contact with the dog’s owners, who came to pick Fifty up. The dog, who was understandably scared, ran off while his family was trying to evacuate earlier in the day.

Watch the reunion video:

Ranger Fire

On Thursday evening, in a separate fire, heavy flames filled the nearby city of Ranger’s downtown area and engulfed historic structures including the police department building and a 100-year-old church.

Video taken by the Eastland County Today newspaper showed crews working to put out the fire at the historic Second Baptist Church and the police station.