Texas Community Evacuated When Fire Neared Explosives Plant
ZEPHYR, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A tiny West Texas community was evacuated when a grass fire threatened an explosives plant.
The Brownwood Bulletin reports that some 200 residents were evacuated from the Zephyr community around 6 p.m. Monday when the fire neared Orica USA -- a dynamite storage plant.
The Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire burned through the plant without damaging the explosives, though, and Brownwood/Brown County Emergency Management lifted the evacuation except for those who live on roads emergency crews have closed to traffic.
Update: #259Fire in Brown County is 500 acres and 0% contained. Texas A&M Forest Service has established unified command with the locals. Evacuations are in effect. #txfire
— Incident Information - Texas A&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) July 24, 2018
The Forest Service says the fire began about 2 p.m. Monday with a house fire and had scorched about 500 acres, remaining uncontained as of late Monday.
So far, no injuries have been reported.
Zephyr is about 115 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)