LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Residents in the town of Kress, north of Plainview, are returning to their homes tonight after a wildfire threat forced an evacuation around 5 p.m. Monday.<\/p>\n
Swisher County Sheriff Kyle Schmalzried says there were three separate wildfires around Kress that are now mostly contained. Officials believe the first one started with a vehicle fire.<\/p>\n
Sheriff Schmalzried tells us a few dozen different departments from around the area showed up to help fight the fire, along with a convoy from the Texas A&M Forest Service that happened to be coming down the Interstate during the first vehicle fire.<\/p>\n
Jaden Mendez with the Plainview Fire Department says there were some structure on the south side of Kress that were lost to the fire, but they believe these structures were barns and outhouses. No word yet about any residential homes burned by the fire.<\/p>\n
The Texas A&M Forest Service estimates 1,000 acres burned, but that estimate could change once they get a team out to assess the damage Tuesday or Wednesday. They\u2019re reporting 60 percent containment as of Monday night and they say forward progression has been stopped.<\/p>\n
An airplane used to fight the fire has now been dispatched to another fire here in the Panhandle.<\/p>\n
Firefighters will be putting out hot spots and monitoring conditions overnight. Winds are expected to be calmer, which should aid firefighting efforts.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll continue to update this story as more details are released.<\/p>\n
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