People with respiratory conditions and those who are regularly outdoors were asked to take precautions as smoke and haze from the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties moves over Fort Worth.
Fort Worth-Dallas’ smog reached levels Wednesday that can be unhealthy for people with lung disease, children and teens, older adults and those who are active outdoors for six or more hours a day, according to data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
These groups are urged to:
- Choose less strenuous activities during affected days.
- Limit the amount of time spent outdoors.
Those who are unusually sensitive to particulate matter — or particle pollution — are also encouraged to reduce activities and time spent outdoors.
The air quality alerts come as crews in Palo Pinto and Jack counties continue to battle the Ross Fire after it’s grown to burn 80,000 acres over a span of a few days.
About 12% of the wildfire has been contained in Palo Pinto County, according to the latest data from the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The smoke is expected to spread southeast in North Texas throughout the afternoon and evening, the National Weather Service said in a post.
Because visibility could be reduced to as low as 1 to 2 miles at times, commuters are urged to slow down and leave plenty of distance between vehicles.
After notifying parents that campuses were monitoring conditions, Fort Worth ISD schools canceled all outdoor activities Wednesday, according to an email sent to students’ families.
Palo Pinto ISD classes remain in session but faculty are monitoring conditions, the district said Wednesday in a social post, as another fire was reported just west of the county, near the site of where the Ross Fire emerged.
The following areas and roadways in Palo Pinto County have been closed as crews continue responding to the fire:
- FM 4 north at the Palo Pinto County / Jack County line.
- Texas 337 northbound at Texas 254.
- Texas 254 westbound at Texas 337.
- Texas 254 eastbound at Texas 16.
- Texas 337 at Grassy Ridge Road.
- Texas 337 at West Division Street.
- Texas 337 at Dye Road.
- Texas 16 southbound at Texas 337.
- Texas 16 northbound at Texas 254.
- Texas 254 eastbound at Texas 16.
More clouds and decreased wind speeds will lessen the threat of the spread of the fire, the NWS said Wednesday in an update. The public is urged to keep sources of ignition away from dry vegetation, wood and other fire fuels.
While all Jack County evacuations have been released, officials urge residents to use caution when returning to homes.
No state parks, including Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, have been affected by the fire and are operating as normal, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesperson Madelon Allen told the Report in an email Wednesday.
The fire has prompted Palo Pinto County Judge Shane Long to declare a local disaster Tuesday.
On the same day, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant to the state, according to a Tuesday news release from Gov. Greg Abbott. Through the grant, the state is eligible for a 75% reimbursement in costs made to suppress the wildfire.
As of Tuesday, 630 households were evacuated in areas surrounding the wildfire, according to the release.
What are North Texas air quality levels measured at?
Ozone levels reached an air quality index of 136 Wednesday afternoon. Particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers reached an AQI of 80 while PM 10 reached an AQI of 58.
When AQI levels exceed 100, air quality is considered unhealthy at first for sensitive groups then for all others as AQI values increase, according to Air Now.
Ozone, or ground level smog, forms when three chemicals are emitted from natural and human sources and combine, reacting in the sunlight. Particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, which can include dust, dirt, soot or smoke.
The forest service received calls from Palo Pinto County crews for assistance Monday afternoon, when the fire was first reported to have burned 80 acres, according to alerts posted on social media.
An evacuation order was issued for Jack County when the fire began moving north around 3 a.m. Monday, according to the NWS.
Over 25,000 acres were burned in western Palo Pinto County within 15 hours, officials said early Tuesday.
Palo Pinto County is more than 80 miles west of Fort Worth. Jack County sits north of Palo Pinto and is about 70 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
Jack County residents were asked Tuesday to avoid areas near Halsell Ranch Road and Farm to Market Road 4 at Farm to Market Road 2210 to the county line. The public was asked to evacuate east along FM 2210 toward U.S. Highway 281.
Evacuees were directed to Twin Lakes Community Activity Center off Texas 59 in Jacksboro.
Heavy smoke and hot spots lingered in Jack County Tuesday from fires that swept east of FM 4 and areas south of FM 2210.
Five structures were lost in the fire, Palo Pinto county officials said. They continue to assess damages Tuesday.
Classes were canceled Tuesday for Graford ISD and Perrin-Whitt CISD students.
The Humane Society of North Texas is bringing dozens of pets to its Fort Worth office from the Mineral Wells Animal Shelter to increase the center’s capacity for animals displaced by the fire, Cassie Davidson, vice president of marketing, communications and public relations at HSNT, told the Fort Worth Report Tuesday.
A burn ban has been in effect for Palo Pinto and Jack counties as North Texas has experienced triple digit temperatures and dry and breezy conditions in the past month.
Forest service crews said they are responding Tuesday to U.S. Highway 180, Texas 254 and Texas 337 to contain the fire.
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
The Report’s environment coverage is supported by the Marilyn Brachman Hoffman Foundation.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
