By Justin Walker
Communications Specialist
Monday was a busy day in North Texas as firefighters battled numerous fires.
The Texas A&M Forest Service (TFS) responded to nine fires for a total of 2,692 acres.
The largest blaze occurred in Parker County, where 1,000 acres caught fire around noon yesterday. The fire, called the Farmers Road Fire, broke out near the community of Willow Park, only miles away from the Tarrant County line.
The Farmers Road Fire forced evacuations in the eastern portions of the county, including Aledo ISD schools. The fire started north of McCall Elementary and moved within proximity of Walsh Elementary.
Two more fires broke out in Parker County yesterday, one west of Springtown and one in Weatherford. Both were contained.
WFAA reported multiple fires in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. About 200 acres burned west of Flower Mound, shutting down multiple roads in the area. As of 3 p.m. on Monday, all roads impacted by the fire had been reopened.
Fires also broke out in Wichita, Collin, Ellis and Wise counties.
According to TFS, extreme fire danger was observed in several areas across the state on Monday, including Parker County.
Today’s forecasts call for moderate danger ratings for a majority of the state. Far West Texas, however, is rated as high.
The continued dry conditions have forecasters warning it could be a difficult fire season, starting earlier than normal and lasting through early April.
Experts point to below normal precipitation levels and above normal temperatures. The fire threat is also increased by the wet weather last year that fueled grass growth.
Of the 30 largest wildfires in Texas history, 90 percent have occurred during the dormant season of January to March, and most happened in the Western Texas Plains region, according to a fire danger webinar.