Wildfire, Davis / Apache Mountains Area
- When
- May 23, 4:00 PM CST to May 26, 10:00 AM CST
- Where
- Davis / Apache Mountains Area forecast zone
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
During the afternoon of the 23rd, a rare dry lightning outbreak occurred over the Davis and Glass Mountains of west Texas. A total of six wildfires were sparked by the lightning between 16:00 and 18:00 CST across Brewster, Jeff Davis, and Pecos Counties. Gusty winds generated by the dry thunderstorms combined with triple digit temperatures and very low relative humidities to promote rapid fire growth. Fire fighting efforts were initially concentrated on a small fire that threatened the Davis Mountain Resort subdivision eleven miles north-northwest of Fort Davis. This fire was quickly subdued before any structural damage was sustained. Two of the blazes, however, became large and burned out of control for more than forty-eight hours.The Davis Mountain Complex Wildfire burned more than 3,000 acres near the Buffalo Trail Council Boy Scout Camp ten miles north of Fort Davis. This fire burned brush in mainly inaccessible areas east of the McDonald Observatory. The fire hampered operations at the observatory and several scouting and church camps in the area, but all facilities remained open. The blaze was extinguished on the 26th following the arrival of a cold front and associated cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity.The largest fire burned more than 3,500 acres between Alpine and Marathon in northern Brewster County. The Mitre Peak Wildfire was fought by more than sixty people including officials from local volunteer fire departments, the Texas Forest Service Hot Shot unit, the National Park Service, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and three Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter crews. The fire was brought under control during improving weather conditions on the 26th.