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.