BELTON, Texas — Two emergency personnel were taken to the hospital due to heat exhaustion after battling the Dog Ridge Fire in Belton, which sparked Thursday afternoon, according to the Bell County Fire Marshal Chris Mahlsedt.
The fire, which sparked Thursday afternoon, is now 70% contained as of 1:45 p.m., according to Bell County spokesperson James Stafford.
Stafford added that the fire hasn't spread beyond fire lines.
“At this point, there is little danger of it escaping the containment lines," Mahlsedt said.
The fire reportedly started before 2 p.m. Thursday in the area of Interstate 14, just west of FM 1670. Parts of I-14 were temporarily shut down in both directions due to the high smoke at the time. Minor crashes were also reported because of poor visibility on Thursday, Sgt. Bryan Washko with the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
There are no injuries so far and there hasn't been any damage to any residential or commercial areas, except a wrecking yard, which lost 1,500 vehicles, Mahlsedt said.
There has been some confusion about the total number of acres burned from the Dog Ridge Fire, but Stafford clarified a total of about 150 acres were burned since the fire started. He came to that conclusion because crews scoped the perimeter of the fire, he said.
The cause of the fire isn't known at this time.
Around 25 to 30 agencies, including fire departments from Belton, Salado and Fort Hood, responded to the fire.
Stay with 6 News as this story develops.