Fire Evacuees Return Home
Posted/updated on: August 17, 2011 at 4:40 pm
SMITH COUNTY — Chapel Hill area residents forced to evacuate because of a large wildfire were allowed back in their homes last night. Officials with the Texas Forest Service report, as of 7:30 this morning, the fire is not quite 100% contained. Authorities will be on scene all day to make sure the high winds don’t increase the intensity of the remaining fire. The Texas Forest Service will have one helicopter out this morning, and hope to have it fully contained by this afternoon.
The evacuation order was issued yesterday afternoon for the area surrounding County Road 235 and County Road 26. Law enforcement started the evacuation process, even blocking off traffic in the area.
Smith County firefighters battled the grass fire that damaged two mobile homes. Several other structures had been threatened in the 18,000 block of County Road 26. There were reportedly 250 acres burned by the blaze that ten fire departments battled. The Texas Forest Service was called in. Plows from Henderson were brought in and choppers were used to drop water on the flames.
