Residents of the Brown County area will continue to see large plumes of smoke as a result of the prescribed burns taking place at Camp Bowie this week and continuing for another several days.
According to officials at Texas Forest Service, the burn was started on February 11th during the Central Texas Wildfire Academy and could continue through the end of the month if the weather cooperates.
Nick Harrison and Jan Amen with TFS stated that firefighters on the two prescribed burns today are from both the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Texas Army National Guard and are assisted by members of the Dam VFD (Brown County). Approximately 30 firefighters are out on the line today, doing another land management/restoration burn for Camp Bowie.
There are two units within the camp being burned Tuesday. One unit is 243 acres just south of the Camp Bowie Training Center next to the unit burned for the training on Monday, just east of Hwy 45. A second unit is 284 acres near the firing range on County Road 267.
Although it has been quite windy in the area for a couple of days, Harrison stated that it has actually been helpful.
“The winds help move the fire through the units after the flanks have been backfired,” said Harrison. “The winds also help with smoke dispersion.”
To maintain safety and the perimeter of the blaze, wildland engines, bull dozers & firefighters are staffed during these prescribed burns. Although Brown County dispatch has been notified of the burn along with Brownwood Fire Marshal Buddy Preston, concerned citizens have been calling in suspected fires in areas where the smoke from the burns has blown outside the area around Camp Bowie. Travelers along Hwy 45 south of Brownwood have encountered large amounts of smoke blowing across the roadway.
The Texas National Guard’s military readiness and natural resources management objectives require a comprehensive wildland fire management program aimed at protecting life and property, supporting military training and promoting ecosystem health. Prescribed burns are an integral part this program.
The organization uses a well-designed burn plan to safely conduct its prescribed burns. The burn plan states the atmospheric and environmental conditions necessary to conduct a safe burn, clearly defines the boundaries of the area to be burned and provides details of specific precautionary measures that must be implemented prior to each burn.
Photos of firefighters attending the Central Texas Wildfire Academy at Camp Bowie managing the prescribed burn on Monday are pictured above and below. Photos courtesy Jan Amen, Texas Forest Service
