- Crews work to contain wildfire burning near Rockingham, Stokes County border
- Active wildfire in Wilkes County, multiple agencies responding
- Low-end severe weather risk for Central Texas Sunday evening
- Hurricanes extend winning streak to 8 games with 3-1 victory over Sharks
- Crabapple wildfire near Fredericksburg fully contained after burning nearly 10,000 acres
Crews working Twin Starts fire in Llano County, just the most recent wildfire in the area this week
Officials say the Sand Mountain and Slab Road fires are nearly completely contained.
LLANO COUNTY, Texas — As of 6 a.m. Friday, crews continue to fight the Twin Starts fire just off Highway 71 in Llano County. It is just the most recent wildfire to start in the area since Tuesday, after both the Sandstone Mountain and Slab fires started that day.
As of Friday morning, the 420-acre Twin Starts fire was 75% contained. Dozers are working to make a containment line.
Authorities reported that the 351-acre fire at Sandstone Mountain in Llano County is 95% contained. Crews have been working to put out the fire since early Thursday evening.
The Texas A&M Forest Service responded to that fire, which is located along State Highway 71 and County Road 307.
Aside from the Sandstone Mountain fire, crews are also responding to another nearby fire. That one, labeled the Slab Road fire, has so far burned 57 acres and is 90% contained.
According to the Llano County website, a burn ban has been in effect for the county since late January.
The latest fire comes soon after Gov. Greg Abbott said the state is coordinating its response to ongoing wildfires burning across Central and West Texas.
The Texas A&M Forest Service Predictive Services Department said the potential for large wildfires exists in the Hill Country and Rolling Plains through Friday, in areas including Childress, Vernon, Abilene, Brownwood, Lampasas, San Angelo, Ozona and Fredericksburg, according to a release.
Triple-digit temperatures, combined with extremely dry vegetation and high winds, will increase the risk of fire activity in significant portions of the state through the weekend.
Earlier this week, the forest service raised the State Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 5 (PL 5) due to a significant increase in fire activity across the state, potential for large fires that are resistant to control, as well as the increased commitment of state and local resources to fires.
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