May is Wildfire Awareness Month, Texas A&M Forest Service
- Manager
- May 6
- 7 min read
Summary: Never can happen in Willow Park? How about as recently as January 2018. "Preparation for wildfires is key to protecting both lives and property... During an emergency, you may only have minutes to act or evacuate. Having a plan and a go-kit can make all the difference. The better prepared Texans are, the safer they will be."
• Latest Update: 06 May, 2025
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, Texas A&M Forest Service
"Preparation for wildfires is key to protecting both lives and property... During an emergency, you may only have minutes to act or evacuate. Having a plan and a go-kit can make all the difference. The better prepared Texans are, the safer they will be." [1, Read entire article]
Never can happen in Willow Park? Just as recently as January 2018, "The fire torched more than 1,000 acres as it danced along I-20 and I-30 in eastern Parker and western Tarrant counties, threatening homes in Willow Park and forcing widespread evacuations, including two elementary schools in the Aledo district. The grass fire along I-20 threatened homes near Willow Park but no structures were burned. An evacuation was ordered for all residents along a stretch of I-20, including near Farmer Road West, Ranch House Road, White Settlement Road, Cattle Baron Road and Farm Road 730. [2]
• The Texas A&M Forest Service Incident Viewer offers a real time view of current fires. FireWise USA also offers real time information on national wildfires.
• Texas A&M Forest Service Texas Fire potentials offers forecast Fire Dangers.
Willow Park Civics Sources and Resources
[1] Wildfire Awareness Month Highlights Proactive Safety Strategies, Texas A&M Forest Service Newsroom, posted 02 May 2025
Wildfire Awareness Month highlights proactive safety strategies
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – In 2024, 5,187 wildfires burned over 1.3 million acres in Texas, and since wildfires have no boundaries, Texans should always be prepared for wildfires.
During Wildfire Awareness Month, Texas A&M Forest Service is highlighting the ways that Texans can not only prevent wildfires but how they can prepare for when they occur.
"Preparation for wildfires is key to protecting both lives and property," said Erin O'Connor, Texas A&M Forest Service Public Information Officer. "During an emergency, you may only have minutes to act or evacuate. Having a plan and a go-kit can make all the difference. The better prepared Texans are, the safer they will be."
Prepare a go-kit
A critical component to ensuring safety and preparedness for wildfires is the preparation of a go-kit that can be easily carried and include supplies for several days. A go-kit should include:
• Supplies for both people and pets.
• Prescription medications or other necessary medical equipment.
• Papers and important documents such as phone numbers and insurance and identification documents.
• Personal needs including food, water, clothes, money, chargers and a first aid kit.
• Priceless items such as photos, family heirlooms and any other irreplaceable or valuable items.
Evacuation plans
"It is important to have at least two evacuation routes planned out of your neighborhood in case the first route is blocked by heavy smoke or traffic," said O’Connor.
Evacuation routes and shelter locations will be influenced by wildfire activity. It is critical to know how and where local emergency officials will communicate information, such as updates and instructions, to the public.
Preparing homes and land
"There are many practical steps that residents and landowners can take to reduce their risk from wildfire," said O’Connor.
Residents can prepare around their homes using fire resistant landscaping and ensuring defensible spaces are maintained. Embers—small pieces of burning material easily carried by the wind—are the leading cause of home loss during wildfires. They can collect in small crevices around a home and enter through vents.
Simple, low-cost actions like cleaning out gutters, clearing leaves from garden beds and around wooden structures, removing leaf piles, and relocating firewood stacks at least 30 feet away from buildings can significantly reduce the risk of ember ignition.
Farm and ranch owners can prepare for wildfires by assessing the property for potential hazards, establishing contingency plans for feeding and relocating livestock if a fire is imminent and informing fire departments about access roads, water sources, fence lines and preferred wildfire suppression tactics.
Preparing communities
"The wildland urban interface is where humans and their structures meet or mix with undeveloped wildland,” said O’Connor. “Communities in the WUI are at the greatest risk for wildfire damage or loss. As Texas’ population grows and urban areas expand into more rural landscapes, the number of people that may be impacted by wildfires will increase."
Communities and municipalities can create community wildfire protection plans to identify high-risk areas of the wildland urban interface and target potential fuels reduction projects, training needs and prevention strategies.
Texas A&M Forest Service works with communities to create community wildfire protection plans, assists neighborhoods with the management of the Firewise USA® program and provides risk assessment tools to ensure communities have the resources to be prepared for wildfire.
Texas Fort Worth Car-Telegram 22 January 2018
VIDEO: All lanes of I-20 and Interstate 30 from Loop 820 to Farm Road 5 in western Tarrant and eastern Parker counties are closed due to heavy smoke. By Max Faulkner PARKER COUNTY
A fast-burning grass fire shut down Interstates 20 and 30 for hours Monday afternoon, one of a handful of fires that popped up when North Texas was ripe for burning.
The fire torched more than 1,000 acres as it danced along I-20 and I-30 in eastern Parker and western Tarrant counties, threatening homes in Willow Park and forcing widespread evacuations, including two elementary schools in the Aledo district.
The busy stretches of freeways were shut down for much of the afternoon, but as the thick smoke subsided, they reopened between 4:30 and 5 p.m.
“The fire is obviously not totally contained but we’re in a lot better shape than we were a few hours ago,” Parker County Judge Mark Riley said about 5:30 p.m “The interstate is open and traffic is going in both directions.”
The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning until 6 p.m. Monday for much of the northern and western half of the state, including the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Wildfires were reported in Denton, Gillespie, Grayson, Leon, Oldham ,Wichita and Wise counties.
Two other small fires were reported in Parker County; near the Agnes community and in Weatherford.
Once the winds died down about 6 p.m. — coupled with a drop in temperatures and rising humidity — the threat of fires was greatly reduced.
But earlier in the day, when winds were gusting up to 40 mph, the fires raged — especially the one along I-20.
Dozens of firefighters from across North Texas battled the fires and evacuations were ordered for a stretch of I-20, including the Walsh residential development in far west Fort Worth. At the same time all lanes of I-20 and I-30 were shut down from Loop 820 to Farm Road 5.
“Basically, every fire department on the eastern side of Parker County is working the fire,” Parker County spokesman Joel Kertok said.
‘This is a mess’
The smoke was eerily thick.
“You ought to see the traffic now in Aledo because everybody had to get off the interstate,” said former Star-Telegram sports columnist Randy Galloway, an Aledo resident. “I was hearing on the radio that they shut down 30 right before the 30/20 split. I went on into Fort Worth and I was coming back to Aledo I saw how bad it had become. I jumped off and took the back roads, but the back roads are crammed because people had to get off the interstate.
“People don’t know where they’re going. This is a mess,” Galloway said about 3 p.m.
The grass fire along I-20 threatened homes near Willow Park but no structures were burned. One structure, however, was burned in a 25-acre fire near Agnes and an outbuilding burned in a 20-acre fire in Weatherford.
An evacuation was ordered for all residents along a stretch of I-20, including near Farmer Road West, Ranch House Road, White Settlement Road, Cattle Baron Road and Farm Road 730.
Students and staff at Walsh Elementary School were evacuated to the Daniel Ninth Grade Campus and those at McCall Elementary School were evacuated to Aledo High School, according to the Aledo school district.
Riley issued a disaster declaration, allowing the county’s road equipment to be moved on to private property to cut fire breaks. Riley said firefighters were able to able to contain to the fire the north side of I-20 and were staged on the south side just in case the fire jumped the freeway.
“The issue of course is wind,” Riley said.
FWFD assisting on a multi alarm grass fire near I-20 and Walsh Ranch. Heavy smoke conditions use caution in area. Traffic slowed on I-20 both directions pic.twitter.com/K72RD66TIG — Fort Worth Fire Dept (@FortWorthFire) January 22, 2018
‘Folks just need to be cautious’ Firefighters have been worried about a difficult fire season this year because of tall grasses from wet weather last year.
The strong winds and low humidity were providing the perfect fuel for fires, prompting the red flag warning form the National Weather Service.
Only the cooler temperatures were preventing the fires from being even more intense, National Weather Service meteorologist Lee Carlaw said.
Riley said while a cause for the fire has not been determined, the very visible flames should remind everyone to pay attention when it’s dry and windy.
“Folks just need to be cautious,” Riley said.
• Prepare For Wildfires: Protect Your Home, Willow Park Civics Blog, posted 12 August 2022
• The Largest Wildfire in Texas History Is Raging. Here’s What You Need to Know, Smithsonian Magazine, 01 March 2024
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