Firemen battle multiple wildfires

Local and area wildfires kept Clarendon and neighboring volunteer firemen busy last week as hot, dry conditions continued to make for extremely dangerous conditions.

Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said his department fought fires from Tuesday evening through Saturday, starting on the JA Ranch and then later assisting Silverton firemen with fires in Briscoe County.

In Armstrong County, several fires merged into what has been called the Mallard Fire that has consumed more than 74,000 acres of canyon and ranch land since last Tuesday. The wildfire even generated enough heat and smoke to alter the local weather on Friday with a pyro cumulus cloud forming and bringing with it, thunder, lightning, and some rain.

At one point Friday afternoon, the Goodnight community and areas south were evacuated due to the threat of fire spreading that direction.

The Mallard Fire encroached into Donley County Friday evening, jumping US 287 and burning 1,200 acres between the county line towards the Ashtola community, Powell said.

The Texas A&M Forest Service called in help from across the United States under the command of the Southern Area Red Incident Management Team. Red Team Incident Commander Mike Dueitt joined Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Commander Rich Gray in unified command.

Local volunteer firemen were turned away from the fire Sunday, Powell said. Clarendon firemen attempted to respond to another possible encroachment into Donley County late Monday afternoon but were turned back by federal authorities, Powell said.

As of Monday afternoon, Red Team sources were reporting the Mallard Fire was 20 percent contained. The fire was being attacked by four large helicopters, two small helicopters, five single-engine air tankers, 45 engines, six dozers, three hand crews, and personnel totaling 340.

Texas Forest Service Public Information Officer Kari Hines said Tuesday morning that the containment of the fire was unchanged at that time. The area did receive some decent rainfall Monday night, but that precipitation largely missed the area of the fire.