Latest news with #RestAreaFire
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
20 million Americans in 8 states under red flag fire danger warnings
More than 20 million Americans in eight states were under red flag warnings Tuesday morning as severe winds and dry conditions have elevated the threat of fire danger. The alarming forecast comes in the wake of a deadly tornado outbreak over the weekend in the Midwest and South, and wind-whipped wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes in Oklahoma. The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued red flag warnings for a large portion of Oklahoma -- including Oklahoma City, Stillwater and Wichita Falls. The NWS office in Norman, Oklahoma, said possible wind gusts of up to 45 mph combined with low relative humidity and dry conditions are producing "critical to extreme" fire danger in Oklahoma and North Texas. 'Hero' father dies while saving his young son in wildfire Extremely critical fire danger is also forecast Tuesday for the entire state of Kansas, parts of Arizona, a major portion of Missouri, eastern Colorado and West Texas, including the Texas Panhandle. Other major cities under red flag warnings on Tuesday are Denver; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri; and the Texas cities of Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. The areas under red flag warnings are being warned that the conditions are rife for fires to spread rapidly, which makes them extremely hard to contain. Relative humidity across the alert areas is 15% to as low as 6%, and wind gusts are forecast to be between 40 and 75 mph. The critical fire danger comes just as people are beginning to recover from devastating wildfires in Oklahoma and a series of tornadoes. At least 42 people were killed amid more than 970 severe storm reports -- including tornadoes, severe storms, dust storms and fires -- across more than two dozen states over the weekend. A three-day tornado outbreak tore through at least nine states. Raging wildfires in Oklahoma over the weekend left four people dead and more than 140 others injured, according to the state's medical examiner. MORE: 2 young brothers among at least 42 deaths as tornadoes swept US The Oklahoma wildfires destroyed more than 400 homes and structures and burned at least 170,000 acres, prompting evacuations amid extreme fire weather conditions. Wildfires also raged in Texas over the weekend. The biggest blaze was the Windmill Fire that ignited in Roberts County and quickly spread to 21,000 acres, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. The fire was 95% contained on Monday. Parts of Gray County were temporarily under a mandatory evacuation due to the Rest Area Fire, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. The fire has burned an estimated 3,000 acres and was 30% contained as of Friday evening, according to the forest service. ABC News' Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report. 20 million Americans in 8 states under red flag fire danger warnings originally appeared on
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
20 million Americans in 8 states under red flag fire danger warnings
More than 20 million Americans in eight states were under red flag warnings Tuesday morning as severe winds and dry conditions have elevated the threat of fire danger. The alarming forecast comes in the wake of a deadly tornado outbreak over the weekend in the Midwest and South, and wind-whipped wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes in Oklahoma. The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued red flag warnings for a large portion of Oklahoma -- including Oklahoma City, Stillwater and Wichita Falls. The NWS office in Norman, Oklahoma, said possible wind gusts of up to 45 mph combined with low relative humidity and dry conditions are producing "critical to extreme" fire danger in Oklahoma and North Texas. 'Hero' father dies while saving his young son in wildfire Extremely critical fire danger is also forecast Tuesday for the entire state of Kansas, parts of Arizona, a major portion of Missouri, eastern Colorado and West Texas, including the Texas Panhandle. Other major cities under red flag warnings on Tuesday are Denver; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kansas City and Springfield, Missouri; and the Texas cities of Austin, San Antonio and El Paso. The areas under red flag warnings are being warned that the conditions are rife for fires to spread rapidly, which makes them extremely hard to contain. Relative humidity across the alert areas is 15% to as low as 6%, and wind gusts are forecast to be between 40 and 75 mph. The critical fire danger comes just as people are beginning to recover from devastating wildfires in Oklahoma and a series of tornadoes. At least 42 people were killed amid more than 970 severe storm reports -- including tornadoes, severe storms, dust storms and fires -- across more than two dozen states over the weekend. A three-day tornado outbreak tore through at least nine states. Raging wildfires in Oklahoma over the weekend left four people dead and more than 140 others injured, according to the state's medical examiner. MORE: 2 young brothers among at least 42 deaths as tornadoes swept US The Oklahoma wildfires destroyed more than 400 homes and structures and burned at least 170,000 acres, prompting evacuations amid extreme fire weather conditions. Wildfires also raged in Texas over the weekend. The biggest blaze was the Windmill Fire that ignited in Roberts County and quickly spread to 21,000 acres, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. The fire was 95% contained on Monday. Parts of Gray County were temporarily under a mandatory evacuation due to the Rest Area Fire, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. The fire has burned an estimated 3,000 acres and was 30% contained as of Friday evening, according to the forest service. ABC News' Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report. 20 million Americans in 8 states under red flag fire danger warnings originally appeared on
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Abbott announces federal assistance for Crabapple wildfire
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the state requests for fire management assistance through grants for the Rest Area Fire in Gray County and the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County. 'Texas is working around the clock to provide all necessary resources to local officials fighting wildfires in Gray and Gillespie counties,' Abbott said. 'With the approval of these Fire Management Assistance grants, we will continue to support our brave firefighters as they battle these dangerous blazes. The safety and well-being of Texans is our No. 1 priority, and we will work tirelessly to ensure impacted communities get the assistance they need. I thank our first responders and brave firefighters for their work to protect their fellow Texans.' MAP: Where have wildfires burned in Central Texas in 2025? As of Sunday afternoon, the Crabapple Fire has burned more than 9,500 acres, and officials said several structures have been destroyed. The Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) said firefighting efforts have resulted in the wildfire reaching 40% containment. The approval of the grants allows Texas to be eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for costs relating to fighting the wildfires, according to the press release. Wildfire tips and information on how to report damage can be found on the Texas Disaster Portal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Abbott announces federal assistance for Crabapple wildfire
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the state requests for fire management assistance through grants for the Rest Area Fire in Gray County and the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County. 'Texas is working around the clock to provide all necessary resources to local officials fighting wildfires in Gray and Gillespie counties,' Abbott said. 'With the approval of these Fire Management Assistance grants, we will continue to support our brave firefighters as they battle these dangerous blazes. The safety and well-being of Texans is our No. 1 priority, and we will work tirelessly to ensure impacted communities get the assistance they need. I thank our first responders and brave firefighters for their work to protect their fellow Texans.' MAP: Where have wildfires burned in Central Texas in 2025? As of Sunday afternoon, the Crabapple Fire has burned more than 9,500 acres, and officials said several structures have been destroyed. The Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) said firefighting efforts have resulted in the wildfire reaching 40% containment. The approval of the grants allows Texas to be eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for costs relating to fighting the wildfires, according to the press release. Wildfire tips and information on how to report damage can be found on the Texas Disaster Portal. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas wildfires: FEMA approves federal assistance grants for fires in Gray, Gillespie counties
The Brief FEMA has approved Texas's request for Fire Management Assistance Grants for two wildfires in the Hill Country and the Panhandle. The Rest Area fire and the Crabapple fire have burned a collective 17,431 acres so far as of Sunday afternoon. FEMA's approval means that Texas is eligible for 75% reimbursement for costs associated with fighting the two wildfires. AUSTIN, Texas - FEMA has approved Texas's request for federal funding to fight two large wildfires burning thousands of acres in the Hill Country and the Panhandle. Gov. Greg Abbott announced the approval in a release, saying that FEMA has approved the state's request for Fire Management Assistance Grants for the Rest Area Fire in Gray County and the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County. What we know FEMA's approval means that Texas is eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for costs associated with fighting these wildfires. The grants are available to states and local jurisdictions for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction and would constitute a major disaster. Dig deeper Abbott has directed the following state emergency response resources to support local wildfire response efforts: Texas A&M Forest Service (Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System): Local, state, and out-of-state firefighters and support personnel, fire engines, bulldozers, and motor graders; federally contracted firefighting aircraft, including large air tankers, single-engine air tankers for retardant drops, air attack platforms for surveillance and spotting, super scoopers for water drops, helicopters with firefighting capability, fire bosses and an aerial supervision module for aerial guidance Texas Division of Emergency Management: The State of Texas Incident Management Team to support deployed emergency response resources across the state Texas National Guard: Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters with firefighting capability Texas Department of State Health Services (Texas Emergency Medical Task Force): Wildland Fire Support Packages consisting of medics, ambulances, and all-terrain vehicles Texas Department of Public Safety: Texas Highway Patrol Troopers to patrol roadways and assist stranded motorists Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Game Wardens, State Park Police Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Task Force 1 and Texas Task Force 2): Type 3 Urban Search and Rescue Teams Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents as well as AgriLife Extension Agents to support agricultural and livestock needs Texas Animal Health Commission: Coordinating animal resource needs Texas Department of Agriculture: Coordinating agricultural resource needs Texas Department of Transportation: Personnel monitoring road conditions Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring and coordination with utility providers Railroad Commission of Texas: Monitoring of the state's natural gas supply and communication with the oil and gas industry Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Air/water/wastewater monitoring Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Personnel to provide information on available services through the 2-1-1 Texas Information Referral Network Texas Department of Information Resources: Monitoring technology infrastructure By the numbers The Rest Area fire in Gray County, located east of Amarillo, has burned about 7,900 acres and is 95% contained as of 4:03 p.m. March 16, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service incident map. The Crabapple fire in Gillespie County, located between Fredericksburg and Crabapple, has burned about 9,500 acres and is 55% contained as of 6:30 p.m. March 16. What you can do Texans whose homes or businesses sustained wildfire damage are also encouraged to report it using TDEM's Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) damage survey. The survey can be filled out in multiple languages by selecting "2025 Wildfire Incidents." Collected information in these surveys helps emergency management teams assess the damage and aids officials in connecting impacted Texans with available resources. However, Abbott's office is reminding Texans that the iSTAT survey is not a substitute for reporting damages to insurance providers and does not guarantee disaster relief assistance. The Source Information in this report comes from the Texas A&M Forest Service and Gov. Greg Abbott's office.
