Texas Forest Service: Mesquite Heat Wildfire Near Abilene 82% Contained

 

ABILENE – The Texas Forest Service is reporting Friday that the Mesquite Heat wildfire near Abilene is now 82% contained heading into the Memorial Day weekend.  

The Mesquite Heat Fire is now 82% contained. Yesterday, fire behavior remained low despite the return of hot and dry weather. There were small flare ups in the interior and debris piles. Scattered heavy fuels will continue to smolder until consumed. Firefighters patrolled the fire area, extinguished hotspots, and improved containment lines.

Crews again flew an unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) equipped with an infrared camera over the fire yesterday. They found hotspots in the interior on the northern and western sides, but they were no threat to containment. An unmanned aircraft system will be used again today to search for hotspots.

Today, fire behavior is expected to remain low inside the fire perimeter, but fire danger will increase today and over the weekend so firefighters will continue to work toward increasing containment. Resources will shift so that more crews will work on the edges of the fire that have not yet been contained. Firefighters will continue to patrol and mop up hotspots in all areas and reinforce existing containment lines. 

Mesquite Heat Fire May 27, 2022 (Contributed/TFS)

Mesquite Heat Fire May 27, 2022 (Contributed/TFS)

Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily

The LIVE! Daily is the "newspaper to your email" for San Angelo. Each content-packed edition has weather, the popular Top of the Email opinion and rumor mill column, news around the state of Texas, news around west Texas, the latest news stories from San Angelo LIVE!, events, and the most recent obituaries. The bottom of the email contains the most recent rants and comments. The LIVE! daily is emailed 5 days per week. On Sundays, subscribers receive the West Texas Real Estate LIVE! email.

Required

Most Recent Videos

Post a comment to this article here: