Large brush fire prompts Medina County evacuation order, some free to return home

Large brush fire in Medina County, residents ordered to evacuate

Credit: Travis County ESD 1

MEDINA COUNTY, Texas - Residents in some parts of Medina County and residents in the city of Mico were told to evacuate Saturday as a massive brush fire moved through the area.

The fire is believed to have started as a vehicle fire on Friday. But, due to the higher temperatures and the red flag warning, the flames spread across the county and into Mico, according to KSAT.

According to the Medina County Office of Emergency Management, all residents may return to their homes for the evening, except for those who live on County Road 2615 between County Road 265 to just south of Paradise Canyon. This includes the High Mountain Ranch subdivision as well, officials say.

The City of Mico is still ordered to remain evacuated at this time.

No injuries have been reported as of yet.

Much of Texas is at an elevated risk of wildfires this weekend and early next week because of higher-than-usual temperatures and a worsening drought, according to Texas A&M Forest Service analysts and the state climatologist.

At the same time, vegetation that grew during last summer’s rains is now dormant and brittle — perfect fire starter.

Travis County ESD 1 crews have been assigned to battle the Medina County fire. The emergency service district shared photos and videos on Facebook to show how quickly the fire spread over the past 24 hours.

"The area in which this fire started is the same topography and vegetation that we have in our area. This is what can happen in a matter of minutes," Travis County ESD 1 said. "Today is a high fire danger day!"

Already this month, almost 123,000 acres have burned across the state, according to data provided by Texas A&M Forest Service, more than the previous three Marches combined. The hardest-hit area is Eastland County between Abilene and Fort Worth, where more than 54,000 acres have burned and a sheriff’s deputy died while trying to rescue others from the flames last week.