North Texas firefighters battle panhandle wildfires
NORTH TEXAS - North Texas firefighters are on the ground in the Panhandle pitching in to help contain the wildfires which have already reached Oklahoma.
"The fires that have occurred in the Panhandle over the last few days have been displaying extreme fire behavior with very high winds," said Kari Hines, the PIO for the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Fifteen Fort Worth firefighters are in Hutchinson County working to contain the fires. They could be there for up to two weeks.
"In these conditions, firefighters have been working on life safety missions and point protection so assisting with evacuations," said Hines.
Greenville Fire Rescue, Plano Fire Department, Grand Prairie Fire Department and the Flower Mound Fire Department have also deployed some of their crews who are now working tirelessly – in the raging inferno. The Texas A&M Forest Service is in charge of coordinating the almost two hundred firefighters from across the state who are pitching in to help.
"Being able to bolster our own resources with the experienced firefighters that are coming from our cities and counties across the state is just extremely important," said Hines.
In addition to local firefighters, local volunteers from Texas Baptist Men are also packing their bags and preparing to head to the Panhandle.
Texas Baptist Men volunteers will bring a command truck and a feeding truck that will allow them to feed up to 1000 people a day. While they won't be fighting the fires, they'll be supporting the residents by helping them clean up their homes and rebuild their lives.
"We have chaplains and all of our volunteers are trained to offer a shoulder to cry on, part of what we're trying to do is bring that help, hope, and healing and that's something we share all the time," said David Wells, the director of disaster relief for Texas Baptist Men.
