Harker Heights Wildfire About 90% Contained

Wildfire containment of a fire that erupted near Dana Peak Park in Harker Heights has reached about 90% containment as of Monday afternoon, officials said.

The fire has burned about 71.5 acres, said Victoria Wenkman, who is with the Texas A&M Forest Service, one of the agencies that responded to the blaze.

“We’ve got most of it under control, but there are just a few pockets left,” said Wenkman, who was at the scene Monday afternoon.

The Harker Heights Fire Department was notified of a grass fire in the Comanche Gap Road area, near the entrance to Dana Peak Park, at about 11:49 a.m. Sunday.

About 66.5 acres of the burned area were from the original fire located south of Comanche Road, while the additional five acres are the result of a “spot fire,” where the blaze jumped the asphalt and started burning north of the roadway.

The local fire department requested that Texas A&M Forest Service respond with bulldozers to assist. According to Wenkman, Texas A&M provided two bulldozers and Starlight Airlines provided water drops to help combat the fire.

Wenkman also confirmed that the acres that have burned are on Army Corps of Engineers property, which runs Dana Peak Park.

“There are no injuries or damage to homes or buildings of any type,” she said.

However, workers cut it close as fire marks were spotted as close as 10 feet from a nearby fence.

Crews were on scene through Sunday night, and were still there Monday afternoon for “fire patrols,” which is the process of driving through the effected region and smothering still burning fires that are within 60 feet of the containment line with mud.

“Bell County Fire Marshal is in charge of the investigation aspect of this fire and at this time, the cause is undetermined,” according to the news release.

Wenkman reaffirmed the statement, adding that the fire officials could not rule out a man-made fire as no lightning had been spotted in the area prior to the blaze.

The area will be under containment for at least two days, as it can take up to four days for the fire to burn out completely, Wenkman said.

The Harker Heights Fire Department thanked over a dozen other fire departments that also helped battle the wildfire, including crews from Killeen, Copperas Cove and Nolanville.

In response to ongoing dry conditions, the Bell County government issued a county-wide burn ban Monday.

However, rain is on the horizon. There is a 50% chance of thunderstorms in the Killeen area Tuesday night, and an 80% chance of showers on Wednesday.

WITH PHOTOS BY JACK AND COURTESY PHOTO

Harker Heights wildfire about 90% contained

By Jack Dowling and Jacob BrooksKilleen Daily Herald