Wind fans the Rock House flames, Balmorhea State Park closed

UPDATE – Tuesday, 8pm, April 26

According to a Texas Forest Service public information update, weather conditions, dry fuel, and terrain have aligned to create extreme fire behavior on the Rock House Fire.  On the northwest flank, the fire is moving down Gavina Ridge and pushing toward Hwy 118.  Crews are considering conducting burn out operations, if necessary and possible, in order to try to contain the fire north of the road.  Resources including hoses, pumps, and sprinklers have been staged around the McDonald Observatory.

On the northeast flank, the fire is moving east toward Hwy 17.  Crews are working with local resources to hold the fire west of the highway.  Strong winds will prevent the use of burnout operations along the road.  If the fire moves east of Hwy 17, the town of Balmorhea should be safe because of plowed agricultural fields and the fire progressing southeast of the town toward the Barilla Mountains.

Firefighters are concerned about the fire pushing against control lines when the winds shift around 10 or 11pm and start coming from the northwest or north.  Winds are predicted to lessen tomorrow.  This should enable firefighters to use helicopters and planes for monitoring the fire and helping hand crews and dozers construct and improve control lines.

In the event a public notification is needed, a plan has been developed amongst the Jeff Davis Sheriff’s Office, the Jeff Davis Constable, the Texas State Police, and the Law Enforcement Division of Texas Parks and Wildlife.  These agencies will work together to notify local residents of any imminent danger, evacuations, or other critical notices.  Resident are advised to monitor local TV and radio stations including the Big Bend Sentinel, Marfa Public Radio, Big Bend Radio, KMID (Channel 2 ABC), KWES (Channel 9 NBC) and KOSA (Channel 7 CBS), www.inciweb.org or by calling the Fort Davis Fire Station at 423-426-3900.

By EMILY JO CURETON

UPDATE – Tuesday, April 26

FAR WEST TEXAS – The Rockhouse fire has emerged from Madera Canyon, climbed over Timber Mountain and is approaching Forbidden Mountain, about half a mile from Cherry Canyon. Fire crews are focusing on protecting homes and structures in the area as they try to stay safe in the rough terrain and high winds, which are driving the flames to the southeast.

“Its backing up on itself and still burning fuels, backing and flanking we call it,” Hannah Farley, public information officer for the National Forest Service’s Southern Area Incident Management Team said.

“We’ll continue to monitor it, build the lines and fight it indirectly”.

Currently there are no more back burn-outs going on because of the gusty, unpredictable winds, which also limit the availability of air drops past the early morning hours. The fire has scorched upwards of 230,000 acres since April 9 and is still at 75 percent containment.

Monday afternoon, April 24

FAR WEST TEXAS -17 days since it ignited two miles outside of Marfa, the Rock House Fire rages on northwest of Fort Davis in Madera Canyon, still at 75 percent containment. A menacing alliance between wind and fire makes the 215,275-acre blaze unpredictable on the ground and difficult to contain with air drops, which are only possible when the wind dies down.

Because the mountains create localized winds on top of the 45 mph gusts tearing across the plains, crews are at a loss to say where the fire will go when it emerges from the canyon.

“We’ve had a problem containing it ever since it went in to the Davis Mountains, especially on the north flank,” said Nicole Hawk, public information officer for the National Forest Service’s Southern Area Incident Management Team.

As of Monday afternoon, Balmorhea State Park has been ordered closed and a command center set up at City Hall in the event that the winds send the fire to the northeast.

The town is not in immediate danger and according to Hawk, the evacuation is meant to clear the area of non-residents in the event of an emergency situation.

“They are trying to work proactively instead of reactively,” Hawk said of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s recommendation to evacuate.

Monday’s westerly winds are driving the fire back to the east and tonight winds are expected to shift again to the northwest, blowing the flames southeast and posing a potential threat to McDonald Observatory and the Davis Mountains Resort.

Still, with scores of controlled burns, 386 personnel on the ground, 25 engines, 7 dozers, 5 helicopters, 6 air tankers, and another helicopter on the way, the crews and the land itself are better prepared to face a renewed threat than they were three weeks ago, when the initial burn raced across the parched plains and consumed nearly 30 homes, opposed only by a handful of volunteer firefighters and a wealth of prayers.

“We don’t believe McDonald Observatory is any danger,” said Hannah Farley with Southern Area Incident Management Team, “We did burn-outs Saturday night. They also have a cleared area where there isn’t much to burn if the fire did sweep up”.

Currently there is no evacuation plan for the Davis Mountains Resort, but according to Farley, “They are constantly looking and planning and trying to stay two steps ahead”.

Sunday night the flames burned down in to Madera Canyon and by morning had climbed to the ridge as shifting winds continue to back them in to Forbidden Mountain and Timber Mountain, roughly 10 miles from Fort Davis.

There are some homes in the area that firefighters are working to protect.

Madera Canyon heads on the northwestern flank of Mount Livermore sixteen miles north of Fort Davis in west central Jeff Davis County and runs northeast for forty miles before meeting Big Aguja Canyon to form Toyah Creek two miles southwest of Toyahvale and Balmorhea State Recreation Area in Reeves County.