A little more than nine months after wildfires devastated parts of Central Texas, new fires are spreading through New Mexico, burning over 278,000 acres of forest. Twenty-five states, including Texas, have sent support to help fight the blaze.
April Saginor with the Texas Forest Service says some cities in Texas like San Antonio can afford to send firefighters and aid because the state has fewer fires to battle themselves.
“It’s happening, but they’re much smaller than they were last year, and we were able to contain them rather quickly,” she said. “So we’re in good shape right now, but we’re waiting to see what kind of rain we get later this month.”
This time last year, almost 3,000,000 acres had burned in Texas. As of right now, about 55,000 acres have burned this year.
“Out in West Texas, we see a lot of lighting fires, and this is the time of year that that happens with some frequency,” said Saginor, “In East Texas, the number one cause of all fires is debris burning.”
"Wildfire is an inevitable fact of life,” said U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “This campaign raises awareness that those living in fire-prone communities must prepare in advance to mitigate wildfire damage when it occurs. The more proactive actions a community takes, the more fire adapted it becomes."
