'It just wiped out most of the town here. It’s gone.'
The Eastland Complex fire in Texas killed at least one as a dangerous combination of weather conditions came together and forced the flames to change directions, nearly destroying the entire town of Carbon.
By
John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 21, 2022 11:33 AM EDT
|
Updated Mar 23, 2022 4:37 AM EDT
Authorities say dozens of homes were destroyed and a deputy helping with evacuations died as the Eastland Complex grass fires spread in Carbon, Texas.
Residents in Carbon, Texas, were forced to evacuate their homes late last week as a dangerous combination of weather conditions came together and forced the flames of four separate fires to merge into the Eastland Complex grass fire across northwestern Texas. The wind shifted suddenly and smoke limited visibility, adding to the scary ordeal as flames swiftly spread toward the town and threatened the people and properties in their path.
At least one person was killed, and dozens of homes and structures were destroyed. The town of Carbon in Eastland County, which is just west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, lost nearly 90 homes by one local official’s count, according to the New York Times. Other small towns in Eastland County sustained damage.
Fires that had already been fueled by drought conditions spread across northwestern Texas, but an incoming cold front led to winds gusting to more than 30 mph on Thursday. Angel Lopez Portillo of Texas A&M Forest Service described the setup as “perfect conditions” for fire growth due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, which complicated firefighting efforts.
Macy McGaha, a resident of Carbon, said she started getting calls on Thursday that a fire was headed her way.
“They were telling [us] to evacuate and grab what we could,” McGaha told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. Her mom only had time to grab important documents, and once officials started evacuating people, homeowners were not allowed back in due to the dangers of the fire.
The Eastland Complex grass fire spreads across Carbon, Texas. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
As the first siren sounded in the town, Carbon resident Brien Hoskins thought he would be safe where he was since it appeared to him that the wind was blowing in another direction, Hoskins explained to Wadell.
But conditions changed rapidly with the cold front, causing the fire to quickly spread towards Hoskins' home.
"I was back behind [the] shed. I didn't hear [or] see nothing because I was working," Hoskins recalled. "Next thing I know, I went in the house and I was getting things up and it just got so black."
High winds and smoke caused visibility issues while crews were trying to assist those in the area affected by the fires. The first task was to assist the people who were in immediate danger of the fire or had already been affected, Portillo explained.
“This was our main priority, life safety and making sure that nobody got hurt and keeping them safe,” said Portillo.
While attempting to evacuate, Hoskins said he heard a deputy named Larry telling him to get into his vehicle.
“I’m thinking ‘what about my dogs and stuff’ but ... I just jumped in," Hoskins recalled.
Brien Hoskins shares his story with AccuWeather's Bill Wadell in front of wreckage from the fire. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
Soon after, Hoskins watched as Larry responded to another call, where he helped elderly people evacuate with other police officers.
"Then, we drove back down Main Street where the post office is. We went by, and I saw it on fire and I was like ‘it’s gone’," Hoskins, who lost his home and several dogs to the fire, said.
“I’m just trying to make a living for me and my wife, and it’s all gone,” Hoskins said while choking back tears.
Hoskins has lived in Carbon for seven years after moving to the area from Panama City, Florida. But Hoskins said the fire he witnessed was nothing like any tropical storm he had been through.
Debris and ash can be seen where Brien Hoskins' home once stood. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
“I’ve never seen nothing like this," he told Wadell. "I’ve been in hurricanes, tornadoes and stuff, but nothing like this. Fire is the worst thing.”
In addition to dangerous fire conditions, the time of day also prevented research aviation resources in the air on Thursday.
“Given the fact that it was nighttime, we didn’t have any air resources … to kind of give us a little bit more situational awareness,” said Portillo.
Crews responded to the complex throughout the night, but conditions made it difficult.
“It just happened so fast ... It just wiped out most of the town here. It’s gone. My home, my sister’s home, our family, friends a lot of them are left with nothing,” said McGaha.
“But we still have our families and each other. So at the end of the day, it’s all materialistic things and that’s what matters," said McGaha.
Macy McGaha, a resident of Carbon, Texas. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
After ensuring the safety of those in the area, Portillo said the focus of responders shifted to trying to prevent the fire from destroying more structures.
“They’ve worked all night, no sleep. Some of them lost their homes, but they’re still out here caring about their town and their community,” said McGaha.
The weather improved a bit on Friday, and Portillo said air resources were assigned to all four fires that were still burning. The air resources were able to scan around the affected areas and provide additional situational awareness of the fire.
“We’re very thankful for them and you know, the whole communities here, and they’re trying to back them up as much as they can, but there's not enough thank you that we could say to them,” said McGaha.
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On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 11 counties that were hardest hit by the fires.
One fatality has been reported from the fire. Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley was going door to door telling residents to evacuate their homes. The Eastland County Sheriff's Office said the last word on her was she was going to check on an elderly individual, according to KXAS.
As of Wednesday morning, the Eastland Complex fire was only 70% contained and has burned at least 54,000 acres, according to a report by the national incident information system for wildfires (InciWeb).
"Weather conditions this [past] weekend were, unfortunately, conducive for new fire development and rapid growth of any fires that were ongoing,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Randy Adkins said. “Dry conditions persist across central Texas as very little rainfall has been observed over the past three weeks. In fact, most locations are well below average for the month in terms of rainfall.”
The Big L Wildfire burning in Hood County, Texas, grew to more than 6,000 acres on March 20, as firefighting crews raced to contain it.
Portillo advised families to prepare for fires in the future to ensure safety of all individuals. Portillo said not to have any kind of sparks in an area that is prone to fire danger. In addition, it is critical to be aware of surroundings, what’s going on with fires in the area and to be prepared for evacuations, he said.
“We are in fire season, and we are going to see high temperatures, low humidity [and] high winds. The public [needs to] know that to kind of be prepared and to be aware of what’s going on with the weather and what’s happening around your local areas,” said Portillo.
Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Weather News
'It just wiped out most of the town here. It’s gone.'
The Eastland Complex fire in Texas killed at least one as a dangerous combination of weather conditions came together and forced the flames to change directions, nearly destroying the entire town of Carbon.
By John Murphy, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Mar 21, 2022 11:33 AM EDT | Updated Mar 23, 2022 4:37 AM EDT
Authorities say dozens of homes were destroyed and a deputy helping with evacuations died as the Eastland Complex grass fires spread in Carbon, Texas.
Residents in Carbon, Texas, were forced to evacuate their homes late last week as a dangerous combination of weather conditions came together and forced the flames of four separate fires to merge into the Eastland Complex grass fire across northwestern Texas. The wind shifted suddenly and smoke limited visibility, adding to the scary ordeal as flames swiftly spread toward the town and threatened the people and properties in their path.
At least one person was killed, and dozens of homes and structures were destroyed. The town of Carbon in Eastland County, which is just west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, lost nearly 90 homes by one local official’s count, according to the New York Times. Other small towns in Eastland County sustained damage.
Fires that had already been fueled by drought conditions spread across northwestern Texas, but an incoming cold front led to winds gusting to more than 30 mph on Thursday. Angel Lopez Portillo of Texas A&M Forest Service described the setup as “perfect conditions” for fire growth due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds, which complicated firefighting efforts.
Macy McGaha, a resident of Carbon, said she started getting calls on Thursday that a fire was headed her way.
“They were telling [us] to evacuate and grab what we could,” McGaha told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. Her mom only had time to grab important documents, and once officials started evacuating people, homeowners were not allowed back in due to the dangers of the fire.
The Eastland Complex grass fire spreads across Carbon, Texas. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
As the first siren sounded in the town, Carbon resident Brien Hoskins thought he would be safe where he was since it appeared to him that the wind was blowing in another direction, Hoskins explained to Wadell.
But conditions changed rapidly with the cold front, causing the fire to quickly spread towards Hoskins' home.
"I was back behind [the] shed. I didn't hear [or] see nothing because I was working," Hoskins recalled. "Next thing I know, I went in the house and I was getting things up and it just got so black."
High winds and smoke caused visibility issues while crews were trying to assist those in the area affected by the fires. The first task was to assist the people who were in immediate danger of the fire or had already been affected, Portillo explained.
“This was our main priority, life safety and making sure that nobody got hurt and keeping them safe,” said Portillo.
While attempting to evacuate, Hoskins said he heard a deputy named Larry telling him to get into his vehicle.
“I’m thinking ‘what about my dogs and stuff’ but ... I just jumped in," Hoskins recalled.
Brien Hoskins shares his story with AccuWeather's Bill Wadell in front of wreckage from the fire. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
Soon after, Hoskins watched as Larry responded to another call, where he helped elderly people evacuate with other police officers.
"Then, we drove back down Main Street where the post office is. We went by, and I saw it on fire and I was like ‘it’s gone’," Hoskins, who lost his home and several dogs to the fire, said.
“I’m just trying to make a living for me and my wife, and it’s all gone,” Hoskins said while choking back tears.
Hoskins has lived in Carbon for seven years after moving to the area from Panama City, Florida. But Hoskins said the fire he witnessed was nothing like any tropical storm he had been through.
Debris and ash can be seen where Brien Hoskins' home once stood. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
“I’ve never seen nothing like this," he told Wadell. "I’ve been in hurricanes, tornadoes and stuff, but nothing like this. Fire is the worst thing.”
In addition to dangerous fire conditions, the time of day also prevented research aviation resources in the air on Thursday.
“Given the fact that it was nighttime, we didn’t have any air resources … to kind of give us a little bit more situational awareness,” said Portillo.
Crews responded to the complex throughout the night, but conditions made it difficult.
“It just happened so fast ... It just wiped out most of the town here. It’s gone. My home, my sister’s home, our family, friends a lot of them are left with nothing,” said McGaha.
“But we still have our families and each other. So at the end of the day, it’s all materialistic things and that’s what matters," said McGaha.
Macy McGaha, a resident of Carbon, Texas. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
After ensuring the safety of those in the area, Portillo said the focus of responders shifted to trying to prevent the fire from destroying more structures.
“They’ve worked all night, no sleep. Some of them lost their homes, but they’re still out here caring about their town and their community,” said McGaha.
The weather improved a bit on Friday, and Portillo said air resources were assigned to all four fires that were still burning. The air resources were able to scan around the affected areas and provide additional situational awareness of the fire.
“We’re very thankful for them and you know, the whole communities here, and they’re trying to back them up as much as they can, but there's not enough thank you that we could say to them,” said McGaha.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
On Friday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 11 counties that were hardest hit by the fires.
One fatality has been reported from the fire. Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley was going door to door telling residents to evacuate their homes. The Eastland County Sheriff's Office said the last word on her was she was going to check on an elderly individual, according to KXAS.
As of Wednesday morning, the Eastland Complex fire was only 70% contained and has burned at least 54,000 acres, according to a report by the national incident information system for wildfires (InciWeb).
"Weather conditions this [past] weekend were, unfortunately, conducive for new fire development and rapid growth of any fires that were ongoing,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Randy Adkins said. “Dry conditions persist across central Texas as very little rainfall has been observed over the past three weeks. In fact, most locations are well below average for the month in terms of rainfall.”
The Big L Wildfire burning in Hood County, Texas, grew to more than 6,000 acres on March 20, as firefighting crews raced to contain it.
Portillo advised families to prepare for fires in the future to ensure safety of all individuals. Portillo said not to have any kind of sparks in an area that is prone to fire danger. In addition, it is critical to be aware of surroundings, what’s going on with fires in the area and to be prepared for evacuations, he said.
“We are in fire season, and we are going to see high temperatures, low humidity [and] high winds. The public [needs to] know that to kind of be prepared and to be aware of what’s going on with the weather and what’s happening around your local areas,” said Portillo.
Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell.
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