Staff
The El Paso Journal
Wednesday, April 05, 2023 | 15:25
Step.- A wildfire fanned by strong winds has burned 3,500 acres — 1,416 hectares — of desert east of El Paso, between Montana Avenue and unincorporated Desert Heaven, Texas, in Hudspeth County, authorities said.
The incident began on Tuesday night and on Wednesday around 8:30 am it had been contained. The Texas A&M Department of Forestry was involved in extinguishing some isolated fires.
The fire destroyed three vacant structures as it burned desert land east of Hueco Tanks along the El Paso-Hudspeth county line near the US Border Patrol station on Montana Avenue (US Highway 62), it said. a spokesman for the El Paso Fire Department.
Firefighters from more than five agencies contained the Desert Haven fire Wednesday morning after the winds subsided, the El Paso Fire Department said via Twitter.
No injuries were reported in the fire, which grew rapidly Tuesday night as a dust storm swept through the El Paso-Juarez region. The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of up to 58 mph Tuesday in El Paso.
The Texas A&M Forest Service warns that nine out of 10 wildfires are caused by humans. People are advised to avoid outdoor burning and welding on windy days, not to drive or park on dry grass, and to observe local burning bans.
