(WBAP/KLIF) – The complex wildfire in Eastland County continues to burn, while residents in Lipan were also forced to evacuate because of a wildfire in Hood County.
Dry and windy conditions returned in Texas on Sunday, fueling the Eastland County fire, which had only been 30% contained by the afternoon.
“The winds have picked up, the relative humidity has been low, and our temperature’s up,” Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Angel Padillo said. “That kind of works against us.”
Just one of the four wildfires making up the complex in Eastland had been 100% contained on Sunday. About 54,000 acres had been burned down since the fire began on Thursday.
Warm, dry, and windy conditions also returned to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, leading to a wildfire igniting in Hood County. The National Weather Service issued a fire warning for the county, urging residents in the Tolar and Lipan areas from the city of Tolar all the way North to Bowen Rd to evacuate immediately. Residents near Buff Dale and Erath County were also advised to evacuate. Safety shelters at First Christian Church, First United Methodist Church, and Church of Latter Day Saints were all opened.
The Texas A&M Forest Service called the fire the Big L Fire — by 6:30 p.m., around 6,000 acres had been burned and just 5% of the fire was contained. The fire warning expired at 7:00 p.m.