Palo Pinto County Wildfire 50 Percent Contained

GRAFORD (CBSDFW.COM) – Firefighters are making progress on a wildfire that has charred 1,200 acres northwest of Mineral Wells.

The wildfire, one of four that the Texas Forest Service is currently fighting, is now 50 percent contained two days after it began. There were reports Tuesday that a lightning strike near County Road 337 on July 4 may have sparked the fire, but officials were still uncertain Wednesday.

There are no mandatory evacuations yet, but about 20 residents just north of the fire are under voluntary evacuation orders.

The fire has charred the trees along a ridge behind those homes, and the flames are too close for comfort for those who have already seen fire come through this area at least once this season.

"Everything from the east side to the road burned," said resident Mike Adams, who nearly watched his family's home go up in flames this summer. "They saved the house, but pretty much all our property burned."

On April 19, dry conditions and heavy winds fanned flames across thousands of acres in the area, destroying dozens of homes. Now, Adams is staring at a shockingly similar sight, and praying that the home is spared once again.

"Close enough that you can see them from the back of the property; you can see flames," he said. "Not only is it dry, it's extremely hot."

The Texas Forestry Service said at this time of year, trees and shrubs in the area should have moisture content of about 30 to 40 percent. But because of the severe drought, they only have about 10 percent. That's about as dry as a 2x4 sold at a hardware store.

"When you have conditions like that, you need to get in there and try to nip the fire in the bud, so to speak," said Kent Nelson, a Texas Forest Service Spokesman.

The fire crews are trying to do that both by ground and by air. As of Tuesday evening there were three helicopters, six fire engines, five bulldozers and a 20-person hand crew battling the fire.

But while the fire is now 50 percent contained, officials say the danger is far from over.

"A lot depends on the weather," Nelson said. "If we have the winds pick up, we could be in some serious trouble."

Nelson hopes to be able to lift the voluntary evacuation orders by Thursday afternoon.