CORYELL COUNTY, Texas — Fort Hood fire officials told the public Monday afternoon that two fires are being tracked: The Crittenburg Complex Fire and the Flat, Texas fire.
They clarified this during a news conference at 1:30 p.m., which included officials from the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services and the Texas A&M Forest Service.
How did the fire start?
The fire is said to have been started last week with a series of small fires on the southside of the installation in the training area, according to Fort Hood officials.
"We are not 100 percent certain yet, but all indicators point to small arms fire and some motors may have caused the fires here on the installation. This was not caused by a controlled or prescribed burn," according to Fort Hood Cornel Chad Foster.
Due to a rise in temperatures and the direction of the wind, the fires picked up and dispersed throughout the installation, according to officials.
Road closures
Road closures were also mentioned during the conference. Fort Hood Fire Chief Andrew Lima confirmed the closure of East Range Road and West Range Road. As well as Highway 36 from Flat all the way past the installation has also been closed due to fire crews in the area, as stated by Lima.
Fire containment
On Monday, Lima confirmed the Crittenburg fire had burned 32,875 acres and the Flat, Texas fire had burned 30,00 acres to date.
During the conference, Lima confirmed that the Crittenburg fire was 45 percent contained and the Flat fire was about ten percent contained.
Fort Hood officials do warn that during the next days we may see more activity as the temperatures rise and we experience lower humidity. An emergency operation center has also been set up to focus on fighting the fire, according to officials.
The fire does not pose any danger to homes, structures, or infrastructures, according to Fort Hood fire officials. No firefighters were injured.
Updates
The Flat fire had flareups occur Monday evening that were extinguished by Fort Hood engines, according to officials. On the west side, conditions remain the same with no additional containment due to the winds, as reported by Fort Hood officials.
There were five dozers and four graders that were brought in to assist in efforts for Tuesday. Officials say Tuesday's plan will include the use of additional air support in the affected areas.
Stay with 6 News as this story develops.
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