On Sunday, March 8, another grass fire broke out in the Texas Panhandle south of Channing. As of 1:55 p.m. Monday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said the Maroon Fire was estimated at 745 acres and was 100% contained in Oldham and Hartley counties.
U.S. Highway 385 was closed from Channing to Boys Ranch as multiple agencies worked to contain the fire, but has since reopened.
In this February file photo, smoke is visible in the distance from a roadblock at the intersection of FM1061 and FM2381 as crews battled the Lavender Fire.
Fire danger continued Monday until 9 p.m., with a red flag warning in effect for much of the Texas Panhandle, indicating windy and dry conditions, with wind gusts expected to reach 40 mph, relative humidity as low as 5 percent and temperatures in the low 70s.
“There will be breezy conditions tonight and tomorrow and conditions will be very warm and dry,” the National Weather Service’s Amarillo office said on Facebook Sunday night before issuing the warning. “Active and new fires will be able to spread quickly.”
The Maroon Fire is located north of the Lavender Fire, which started in Oldham County along Highway 385 south of Tascosa and spread into Porter County, where the fire broke out in mid-February and burned about 18,423 acres.
The Texas Panhandle continues to face severe fire weather, but some rain and storms Tuesday could bring some relief.
This is a developing story; more information will be added as it becomes available.
.
This article originally appeared in Amarillo Globe News: Maroon Fire Spreads in Oldham and Hartley Counties in Texas Panhandle