HENDERSON, Texas — The Texas A&M Forest Service is Texas’s last line of defense against wildfires. When flames grow beyond the control of local fire departments, they ask the Texas A&M Forest Service to assist by bringing in the bulldozers.
"And so, the fire departments, volunteer and paid fire departments, they’re usually the first ones on scene. When the fire or the incident grows beyond their capacity, that’s when they call us," said Sean Dugan, Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson.
Not only does the Texas A&M Forest Service provide manpower and heavy machinery to local fire departments, but they also give information and analysis that can help inform fire departments of a situation before arriving to the scene.
"Probably the number one thing our information can do is help fire fighters be informed and provide an expectation of what they may see when they go to a wildfire that day," said Luke Kanclerz, a fire analyst for Texas A&M Forest Service. "And it goes down to safety. Helps them know, ‘is this going to be a fire we can easily contain or are these fires going to show more resistance to control?'"
That resistance came in handy when fighting the fire on County Road 324 in Rusk County. Dugan and his team stepped in as soon as the fire transitioned from grass to the trees.
"Once it gets into the timber or once it gets into the brush, that’s when they call us," Dugan said. "Especially in conditions like this, with it being so hot and dry, and if there’s a wind component, fires are very resistant to control. (They) spread very rapidly and show elevated fire behaviors."
East Texas is still under an excessive heat warning until Wednesday night, so fire danger remains high. Fortunately, the Texas A&M Forest Service will be there if disaster strikes.