Panola County crews respond to 771-acre Clear Lake Wildfire near Galloway community

PANOLA COUNTY, Texas (KLTV) - Multiple crews responded Sunday to a large wildfire near the Galloway community on FM 31 South. The Texas A&M Forest Service indicated the fire had claimed 746 acres and was 90% contained as of about 5:35 p.m. Monday. A fire chief has said an explosion took place before the fire and may have been the cause, although investigators are still working to confirm. This is one of the largest fires ever seen in Panola County, the chief said. The fire was 100% contained by Wednesday evening.

Panola County deputies said Sunday evening at about 6 p.m. the fire was in the Yellow Dog area, and authorities were in the process of evacuating residents along CR 452 and CR 453. At that time, the fire was about 300 acres. By 7:20 p.m., the fire had grown to 450 acres, according to the forest service, and was still 0% contained.

Additionally, a 50-acre wildfire was identified between Tatum and Beckville, which the forest service said was 0% contained as of 7:10 p.m. Authorities said the fire started near the Luminant Beckville Mine off of Highway 149, and did not endanger any structures other than the mine. The forest service indicated it was completely contained by 9:45 p.m.

Crews continued working overnight to gain control of the Clear Lake Wildfire, and as of 8:04 a.m. Monday, the forest service had updated the size of the fire to 746 acres and said it was 80% contained. At about 5:35 p.m., the forest service updated this number to 90%.

The Panola County Sheriff’s Office said plow lines had been used to gain control, but crews from the forest service remained on scene throughout the day to monitor the situation.

Flatwoods Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Jerry Coxen shared more details. He said, at first, the tankers and helicopters they asked for weren’t available to help, due to another large fire in the area.

“That first hour or so, it was really cooking, as they call it, you know, smoke rolling and stuff, it was really boiling up big, so we were trying to get that [support], but they had them lined up south of here down around Lufkin,” Coxen said. “They had a big fire, San Augustine County area, south of here, had a big fire, so they were all down around that area.”

He explained that size is not the only factor when it comes to distributing resources for fighting fires. Potential for damage also plays a role in how services respond.

“I think a lot of it has to do with structures involved,” Coxen said. “The more structures involved, they run you up the ladder on the grading system, and if you’ve got more houses or something that could possibly burn, your grade is a little higher on the type of fire and where it’s located and everything.”

By Monday morning, danger to structures due to the Clear Lake Wildfire had been averted, and resources from the state had arrived in force.

“We have seven dozers with the forest service on the ground,” Coxen said. “They’re widening the lines that they made last night and this morning, and now we have, I think it’s probably a section of the state, Task Force One, they come to storm wildfires and stuff like that. We’ve got one-ton engines coming in, we’ve got tankers coming in from all over the state, and we have EMS crews here also from all over the state. This is all through the forest service and the State of Texas. We do have a plane flying around, checking the smoke in different areas, making sure it’s not getting out of any lines.”

The chief said the area was evacuated Sunday evening to keep people safe, but that they were able to return home that same night.

“They were evacuated yesterday evening and up to last night,” Coxen said. “At about midnight, they turned them loose to go back to their homes. They got a pretty good line around the fire and everything, so they let them go back to their homes last night.”

He said they were able to avoid damage to homes because the fire took a fortunate path.

“It burned between two county roads that had houses down both sides of them, and it burned sort of like a tunnel right down through there all the way to the Sabine River, which is several miles across here,” Coxen said.

He does not expect evacuations to be necessary again, as work against the fire continues to progress.

“They’re pretty well plowed around, and if the wind plays with us good today and doesn’t get too high this evening, we’ll be in good shape,” Coxen said.

The chief also said an explosion was reported in the same area just before the fire took off. Witnesses said black smoke was visible, and although authorities are not yet sure if this was the cause, they are investigating it as a possibility. He said there were deer leases and trailers in the area, and some of the trailers were destroyed in the explosion.

“He heard the explosion. It rocked, maybe not rocked his house, but it shook his windows,” Coxen said, describing the experience of a resident nearby. “What it was, we don’t know, but it’s possibly something around that deer camp over there. I don’t know if it was a propane bottle or something, or what even started the fire. We don’t know. And then, there was a big ball of black smoke, and everybody started calling in then. So, that’s about where it started at.”

As of about 3 p.m., the fire remained 80% contained, and by 5:35 p.m. this number was updated to 90%. No injuries have been reported, but the forest service had medical crews on hand in case of need. Firefighters have said the site could continue to smolder for several weeks.

At 8:10 p.m. on Tuesday night, the fire had grown to 771 acres and remained 90% contained. By about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the forest service declared the fire 100% contained.

For an updated map of wildfires in East Texas, click here.

Related:

• WebXtra: Panola County volunteer fire chief discusses Clear Lake Wildfire response

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