KILLEEN, Texas — Six firefighters and three vehicles from the City of Killeen Fire Department have traveled across the Lone Star State to assist with the Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle.
So far, officials have confirmed one death from the fire. The Texas A&M Forest Service also says about three percent of the blaze has been contained. In response to the major breakouts of fires, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as travel has been halted and small town residents have been evacuated.
"This is early in the fire season, so I hope this is not an indicator of what we expect to see going forward," said Killeen Fire Chief Jim Kubinski. "I'm very confident in our teams' training and we always stand by ready to help."
On Wednesday, the Texas A&M Forest Service raised the Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 3 in response to the breakout of fires across the state.
The Killeen Fire Department has also assisted with fighting other fires across the state. According to the City of Killeen, other emergencies that the organization have responded to include:
- The Windy Deuce fire in Moore County on Monday: a brush truck and team of three firefighters were sent
- A fire in Canadian, Texas on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning: A Strike Team leader and utility vehicle were sent
A TX-TF1 team member was also activated Tuesday night for mobilization orders from College Station, according to the city.
According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, only two fires have been fully contained, which are the Old Bunger Fire in Young County, which burned eight acres, and the Juliet Pass Fire in Armstrong County, which burned just under 3,000 acres.
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