First responders worked at the scene of a large grass fire near a school in north Amarillo, and voluntary evacuation orders were issued on Monday afternoon, April 27 but were later lifted.
The Amarillo Fire Department said crews responded around 2:30 p.m. and were battling the fire in the area of Northeast 24th and Grand, around Travis Intermediate School.
AFD said at 4:21 p.m. that forward progression of the fire had been stopped, and they were currently in the process of mopping up hotspots. Additionally, volunteer evacuation orders were lifted, but people with respiratory issues may want to still avoid the area due to ongoing smoke from the fire.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said the Smartside fire in Potter County was an estimated 71 acres and fully contained as of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.
“We are currently working at large grass fire in the area of Northeast 24th and Grand. We have several of our units. We also have Texas A&M Forest Service, who’s brought a strike team, a couple of engines, some rotor graders, things of that nature,” Jason Love, AFD Community Education Liaison and Public Information Officer said at an earlier media briefing. “We also have some city buses that are available for evacuations. As far as evacuations go, Travis Intermediate School, the sixth grade campus has been evacuated. All of those kids are at the main campus across Northeast 24th Street. They are safe, and parents can pick them up at that campus.”
The Warford Activity Center was set up as an evacuation center at 1330 NW 18th Ave. “They’ve got their facility open, and they have a place where you can sit and hang out until we get until we get the okay for everybody to get back in there,” Love said in the earlier update, when he also mentioned high winds and new fuel causing the fire to spread. Heavy smoke was crossing Grand and Northeast 24th, making driving hazardous.
The National Weather Service in Amarillo issued a fire warning at around 3 p.m., saying the dangerous wildfire was moving rapidly east at 3 to 5 mph, impacting the northeastern corner of Amarillo around Mirror Street and north of 24th Avenue. The warning was issued at the request of the Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management, which also alerted the community about a voluntary evacuation in the area at Northeast 24th and Grand.
“We would remind everybody, especially people who are prone to respiratory illness, people that have bronchitis, asthma, things like that, they may want to stay out of the area. That smoke’s still pretty thick, and it could cause problems with anybody with respiratory issues,” Love said in an update, noting that the Warford remained open for those who need to avoid the smoke until the area is cleared.
The cause of the fire and exact location where it started have not yet been determined, though critical fire weather persists in the area, increasing risk for fires to spread rapidly.
Love said to his knowledge, no structures were lost or in danger from the fire.
A red flag warning also continued for the region until 8 p.m. Monday.
This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Crews contain grass fire in north Amarillo that prompted evacuations
Reporting by Kristina Wood and Nell Williams, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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