The Dempsey fire six miles west of Mineral Wells, Texas, crossed the Brazos River at several locations. It was very active again on Saturday, but not to the extreme levels seen on Friday.
When the fire was mapped by a plane at 8pm on Saturday, the northwest side reached Fortune Bend Road and looked across. The northeast side of the fire was near Wrangler Field and did not reach Grassy Ridge Road or Lewis Road. It was about three miles south of Graford, one mile west of Highway 337, and two to three miles south of Highway 254.
To view all articles on Wildfire Today about the Dempsey Fire, including the most recent, click HERE.
The size at that time, taking into account the large unburned areas along the river, was about 10,000 acres. On Sunday morning, the Texas Forest Service reported that it had burned 11,597 acres.
On Saturday, teams continued to build lines, keep the fire along roads, put out bonfires and keep the fire along the Brazos River where they could. Aircraft assisted firefighters on the ground with drops of helicopters and air tankers.
The weather forecast for the fire area that on Sunday at 5:55 a.m. with gusts up to 23 at 5 p.m. The changing wind direction should slow growth to the north, but will be a challenge for firefighters as they work to stay safe as the distribution direction changes.
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