Officials said the designation impacted Taylor County because the Mesquite Heat Fire was barely contained and forced evacuations.
A Texas county declared a catastrophe on Wednesday; after a wildfire that started earlier this week grew to 5,000 acres and forced evacuations. According to a statement released by the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, the Mesquite Heat Fire has worsened. Earlier in the week, the fire was 30 percent contained; but as weather conditions worsened, the flames expanded to 5,000 acres and containment was reduced to barely 5 percent.
The sheriff’s office says, authorities dropped fire retardant over the fires on Wednesday, but only in unpopulated regions. The county’s expo centre has been housing livestock and domestic animals, according to the sheriff’s office.
