Randall County orders Pullman Acres to prepare to evacuate, Canyon Texas
Residents in Pullman Acres were told at 3:57 p.m. Friday to prepare to evacuate as multiple grass fires burned across Randall County and canyon texas stayed under a broad emergency response. The Randall County Sheriff’s Office said evacuees could go to the Cole Community Center at 300 16th St. in Canyon.
At the same time, multiple fires in Randall County had merged into the Hungate Fire, which reached 17,300 acres and was 40% contained. The fire had destroyed several outbuildings and three homes, and damage assessments were still underway.
Randall County roads
Traffic restrictions spread across the area as crews worked. I-27 was closed in both directions from SH 217 to Hungate Road because of reduced visibility, and US 87 was closed from just south of Canyon to Hungate Road. The Amarillo Fire Department said people should avoid the Claude Highway, also known as FM 1151, if possible because of traffic congestion, and eastbound FM 1151 to Rocker K Road was closed.
The road closures left the evacuation area with fewer ways in and out, while crews tried to contain fires already moving across the Panhandles and into New Mexico. The evacuation point in Canyon gave Pullman Acres residents a place to go without leaving the county.
Hungate Fire and Western Fire
The Hungate Fire was not the only active blaze in Randall County. Crews were also working to contain the Western Fire, which was reported at 1,000 acres and 0% contained.
Farther north, the Stinnett Fire Department was responding to two fires in Hutchinson County, including one at the 6666 Ranch off Highway 207 and another east of Spring Creek that was in mop-up status. Crews were also continuing to extinguish the Roman Fire west of Dalhart near the state line, where it had grown to 2,000 acres and was 75% contained.
For Pullman Acres residents, the immediate step was to be ready to leave and to head to the Cole Community Center if the order came. The rest of Randall County was dealing with multiple fires at once, and the main access roads around Canyon remained restricted.
