250-acre Hill County wildfire destroys 5 homes; 20% contained
HILL COUNTY, Texas (CBSNewsTexas.com) - Crews are battling a 250-acre wildfire in Hill County threatening homes and power lines.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire destroyed five homes in Blum and 25 more structures are immediately threatened. The fire is 20% contained as of 9:30 p.m.
FM Road 933 south of Blum to FM Road 1153 is closed.
TFS also said the fire is exhibiting "active behavior with long-range spotting."
Texas NM Power said the fire burned several of its utility poles.
The company said crews were able to restore power to most people; however, there are still a few customers without.
According to TFS, residents to the North of White Rock Creek were advised to take precautions and exit the area due to the risk of further fire spread. Residents should take everything needed for the next 24-48 hours.
"High temperatures are expected to continue through to the weekend making conditions difficult for firefighters to directly attack the fire," TFS said in a statement. "Relative humidity is around 25% but [Wednesday night] should recover to above 80%. Winds will remain high with occasional gusts out of the south. These winds are expected to decrease slightly tonight and then return to similar levels [Wednesday]."
Hill County Judge Justin Lewis said around 10 p.m. the voluntary evacuation order is lifted; however, FM 933 south of Blum and north of FM 934 will remain closed overnight due to ongoing fire suppression efforts.
This is a developing story.
