Wildfire grows to 3,800 acres across wooded area north of Huntsville, officials say

WALKER COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A rapidly growing wildfire more than doubled in size overnight as homes were being evacuated north of Huntsville Friday night and Saturday morning.

According to the Walker County Office of Emergency Management, a major fire erupted Friday afternoon in a wooded area along Lost Indian Camp Road just off FM-247.

The video above is ABC13’s 24/7 livestream.

Crews continued working late into the night Friday to contain the fire that grew 10 times its size in a matter of three hours.

At 4:21 p.m., the fire was estimated at 100 acres. More than an hour later, at 5:27 p.m., the fire grew to 500 acres. And at 7:37 p.m., just after dusk, the fire grew to 1,000 acres.

As of 9 p.m., the Texas A&M Forest Service reports the so-called Game Preserve Fire has burned about 1,200 acres and is 10% contained.

Early Saturday morning, 10% was still contained, but the fire stretched across 3,000 acres, the forest service said.

At about 8:30 a.m., officials told ABC13 the fire was 20% contained, but it continued to spread another 800 acres by 12 p.m.

Officials told Eyewitness News that crews are actively fighting the flames to increase that 20% containment. No cause is known at this time, though drought conditions are making the fire’s spread extreme.

The county’s OEM recommended an evacuation for everything within three miles of Lost Indian Camp Road. Elsewhere, an evacuation order was called out by the New Waverly Fire Department to residents of Pinedale.

A closure was also in effect for a 6.5-mile stretch of FM-247, from FM-2989 to Pinedale Road.

On Saturday, SkyEye couldn’t get close to the scene due to smoke clouding the sky.

“We have to turn around. There is no visibility up here. Unfortunately – oh man,” Eduardo Hernandez said, reporting from SkyEye.

Video from SkyEye on Friday captured smoke and fire streaming through the trees in a rural swath of the community.

Despite it being rural, there are still homes and farmland here. Voluntary Evacuations are underway for people in the fire’s path.

ABC13 spoke to a farmer who said he was rounding up cows to try and keep them safe as the fire bore down on him.

“This is my whole life. Here is everything I’ve got,” he said.

The Walker County government website stated it issued a burn ban all the way back on July 31, which restricts most outdoor ignitions.

The reported burn area is located 83 miles outside of downtown Houston.

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